Not Normal Circumstances
by IndilwenAranionell
Summary: A genius, a joker, an optimist and a chatterbox are dropped into Middle Earth, however for two of them, it was against their will and as they struggle to find their way back home the other pair decide to make the most of their luck and have fun. But the future for these girls is a lot more complex than they would like to think. A war is coming and Middle Earth has to be ready.
1. Birthday Wishes

**A.N./ If you have been reading our other fic I'm very sorry but that's going to have to go on haitus for now because of my very crazy life. I am going to try and post a new chapter soon but please, bear with me! This story is the brainchild of my friend Maddie and her, along with another friend Uma are writing this fic. I am just beta-ing and being a general helper. I'm also posting the story as neither of my friends have a fanfiction account, so they all share mine!:)**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing in this story... Everything belongs to the amazing Tolkien, we are just borrowing. Maddie and Uma own the OC's and I own all the grammar and spelling mistakes!;)**

**Oh and last thing, the plot of this story takes place several years before FoTR and is a weird mishmash of movie-verse and book-verse. We felt that several *cough GlorfindelElladanElrohir cough*characters weren't given enough, if any credit in the films so they will appear in this story. We promise! But only if you REVIEW! Please! No flames please but constructive criticism is welcome.**

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Chapter One – Birthday Wish

Seph's POV

"Give it to me!" I yelled, throwing myself at my best friend Finna who had just succeeded in taking the TV remote off me. This meant war. Launching myself at her I grabbed a bunch of her silvery blond hair and yanked the remote out of her hands.

"MY PRECIOUS!" She shouted while laughing so hard she almost fell over and chasing me around the coffee table. After a full ten minutes we finally flopped down on my worn out old sofa and continued to watch the film. We had actually been watching the fellowship of the rings before Arwen had appeared on screen and Fin had decided to send out a string of curses. Fin hated Arwen for a list of ten reasons:

1. She is ugly (apparently)  
2. She steals Glorfindel's role (big deal)  
3. She steals Gorfindel's horse (seriously?)  
4. She is dumb (I agree)  
5. She kisses Aragorn (Fin's favourite film character)  
6. She marries Aragorn (big mistake)  
7. She has (as quoted from Harry Potter) the emotional range of a teaspoon  
8. She takes up way more of the film then she is supposed to  
9. She becomes queen of Gondor!  
10. She glows (that's really annoying not to mention distracting)

So if Fin ever meets Arwen… Arwen is totally screwed! I looked down at the bag at my side longingly. I took it everywhere I went. It was my 'in case we ever get teleported to Middle Earth bag'. It contained a compass, a map of middle earth, beef jerky, dried fruit, dry shampoo and some other bits and bobs.

"It is a gift." Fin said, simultaneously quoting her second favourite character.  
"He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn…" I quoted Legolas, grinning at Fin who stuffed popcorn into my mouth to stop me talking. Swallowing popcorn I quickly rushed into the back room, grabbed a bag of tennis balls that our friend Kelly had left. Kelly was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago for my unofficial 14th birthday party. I plonked back down onto the sofa and amused myself by throwing tennis balls at the head of a rather annoyed blond girl, accidentally knocking her glasses off in the process. Before Fin had time to blast me into oblivion the doorbell rang and I rushed to answer it. Kelly stood there with her chocolate hair plaited, as usual, down her back, behind her stood Diana, a good friend and a child prodigy.

Kelly burst in and immediately dropped onto the sofa and began to argue with Fin over who liked Aragorn more. Laughing I sat with Diana who, as she had no knowledge of Lord of the Rings whatsoever, had no idea what we were talking about. Di began to tell me about the theory of relativity while we waited for the two crazy thirteen year olds to calm down. Di is the oldest, fourteen and two months older than me. Fin is 3 months younger than me and Kels is a month after Fin. After Kels finally got Fin to shut up by mentioning Glorfindel we were finally able to watch the movie. I pulled out my fully drawn out and coloured map of middle earth. We all (except Di) stared at it longingly and I gently ran my fingers over the woods around Rivendell before putting it back in my bag for safekeeping.

"Oh Eru I almost forgot!" Fin jumped up and ran from the room while Kels and I silently chuckled at her use of the word Eru. Di knew about Eru. I had taken it upon myself to explain what "Oh Eru" and "Oh Valar" meant so she began to use the terms as well, much to my satisfaction.  
Fin finally got back and she was carrying a small chocolate cupcake with a candle sticking out of the top.

"The cake is the Sainsbury's simple range…" began Diana the prodigy who could tell you anything about everything.  
"Don't worry Sherlock I don't need to know where the candle came from" I chuckled and punched her in the arm. "But how did you know about the cake?"

"Elementary my dear Watson!" She said giving me a rare smile and a wink, pushing some ebony hair out of her eyes. I knew she must have been having a good time since she didn't point out that that quote was never actually in Sherlock Holmes, something she had done many times before.

_"Happy Birthday to you!_  
_Happy Birthday to you!_  
_You look like an orc,_  
_And you smell like one to!"_

Sang Fin, rather out of tune might I add, before passing me the small cupcake.  
"Make a wish!" shouted Kels who, as always, was buzzing with excitement. I leant forward and blew a small puff of wind onto the flame which flickered out. I looked at my friends and smiled…

"I wish we could go to middle Earth!" I proclaimed with a smile and we all crossed our fingers, even Diana who desperately wanted to go to another world where there were new things to learn.

I began to sigh, another birthday wish gone, when suddenly the wind began to pick up. Wind! Inside! I turned to the TV which was showing a picture of Rivendell and stared open mouthed as the screen seemed to twist in on itself creating a tunnel, pulling us all toward it. I screamed and grabbed feverishly onto Fin who in turn grabbed a whooping Kels who had grabbed onto a stony faced, as always, Diana.

"YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER! YOU KNOW THAT RIGHT!" I yelled over the wind. I shared one last smile with Fin before my body was lifted from the ground and dragged into the endless funnel that was once the TV screen. I seemed to be travelling through a twisting colourful rainbow roller coaster. It looked like that entrance scene from Doctor Who. My friends floated around me as we continued to fly towards some unknown destination. Suddenly, the tunnel dropped and I felt myself falling. I could almost feel my body changing as we fell and I watched my friends wide eyed before I made impact and everything went black.

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**A.N/ Review please! :) Make our days! :) Oh and if you haven't noticed yet Uma is a little bit of a Holmes geek so we have a few random quotes from those books...**


	2. In My Situation

**A.N/ Here's chapter two. Enjoy!:)**

**Disclaimer - We own nothing you recognise here... as much as we wish we did ;)**

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Chapter Two - In My Situation...

Di's POV

The feeling of uncertainty is unnerving, but especially so if one is in my situation. To experience the emotion of unknowing when one is accustomed to being the most knowledgeable in the room is quite disconcerting, which is why, as soon as the we arrived on relatively firm and safe ground, my body decided that to fully concentrate on understanding the experience it had just been through it could no longer be bothered with the effort of digesting my lunch so disposed of it for me in a rather loud and humiliating fashion, purely out of confusion. Never let it be said that Diana Asimova was overcome by fear. Questions cascaded in a torrent through my mind, jostling each other for my attention. Before answering them, I surveyed my surroundings. I noticed my friends standing nearby, gaping in awe at the scenery around us, and realised that Seph had either created an elaborate simulation, or we were actually in Middle Earth, that fantasy place in Lord of the Rings.

I ruled out the first possibility almost instantly as I knew Seph could not possibly have done so with her positively non-existent organisational skills ( she was having an "unofficial" birthday party! What that really meant was that she had forgotten about her own birthday until Fin reminded her this morning, and had then hastily decided to invite us to her house, out of courtesy). That meant that we must be in Middle Earth, however impossible that seemed. I knew it must have been true, as, in the words of the great Holmes : "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". I also caught sight of Fin staring in shock at what had happened, confirming my suspicion that we were in fact in Middle Earth. Only something truly fantastic could keep Finna quiet for long. Keeping this in mind, I decided to continue to look around. What I saw amazed me.

A deep valley yawned before me, scattered with gushing inlets of pure water. Looking down, I could not make out the valley floor, and I was certain that it reached down many fathoms. Vast bridges spanned the width of the chasm, and, perching precariously on the rocks, were a multiplicity of dwellings. Great arches and pillars stood on the valley, so timeless that they blended in with the rocks themselves and formed part of the landscape. Huge forests grew on the cliff face, coating it with a blanket of green. The rocks themselves told their own story, as if they were alive, and their sharp crevices and caves spoke of ancient rivers, mystery and adventure. I was immediately reminded of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, where I had been on an educational holiday with my family. However, there the serene valley had been tainted by signs of human intervention: signposts, railings, and litter. Where I was now, nature had continued to paint with its magical beauty, and what had resulted was a magnificent world. So this was what Seph and the others were constantly gossiping about.

Now that I had found out where I was, the next question was: How did I get here? It was simple really, and I had actually anticipated something like this happening, obviously not to me, though. When Seph had blown out her candles for her birthday wish, she had opened a temporal tunnel which created a distortion in space-time , through which we were subsequently sucked. This could only occur because, according to my calculations, our town Cardiff was built atop a rift in time and space, created by the culmination of three ley lines. It seemed that Seph's house was directly above the crux of the rift, and that the alignment of the sun for the summer solstice had resulted in a surge of power in the rift. All it needed was a spark of power from the wish Seph made to open a temporal tunnel. Then, Seph was in charge of where we could arrive, and obviously she chose Middle Earth. Which does not exist... Which cannot possibly exist because it is a work of fiction... Which I was standing in right now. Once again I contemplated the impossibility of my situation, but soon realised that this was a futile exercise, as, for the first time, I had arrived somewhere that was beyond my understanding. We found ourselves walking towards a large forest, and I knew I should have been apprehensive. Somehow though, the only feelings I had were curiosity and excitement.

"How about we set up camp now, team?" suggested Kelly who had allegedly taken a survival course last year. She was by far the most qualified of our group, having willingly sat through multiple episodes of 'Bear Grylls - Born Survivor', and also playing Minecraft for hours on end. She promptly allocated various jobs to her 'team' (how patronising is that?) and set us off to collect leaves, sticks, and moss. Obviously, I had informed the others of the most useful types of plants, information which they will no doubt regret ignoring later. Working until dusk on Kelly's instruction, we marvelled at our handiwork.

"This handiwork is marvellous, guys!" said Kelly, climbing into our makeshift hut. Seph had made a fire - after letting us forage around for dry twigs for half an hour she had revealed that she had in fact brought a lighter with her in her bag of provisions - and we had eaten a small meal of berries and a few snack bars from Seph's bag. Now we were crawling into a tent we had made, which about the size of a car. Inside, light from the dying sun was coloured green, and in the half-light I could barely make out the others' faces. It was not surprising that we were all exhausted, as a trip through the temporal tunnel was enough to make anyone long for a bed. However, that was a luxury we did not have, so we had to make do with moss mats for pillows and hard earth as a mattress. Where was Seph's magical all-inclusive bag when we needed it? But we (well, really only I) should not have worried, as we all fell asleep instantly. Our first night of many in Middle Earth passed peacefully.

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**A.N/ Please review! Tell us what you think! Make are our day! XD**


	3. Goodbye Henry

**A.N/ There's the next chapter! A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or is following this story! It means a lot! :))**

**Disclaimer... We own nothing you recognise here, we are simply borrowing them from the great Tolkien.**

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Chapter 3 – Goodbye Henry

Fin's POV

I woke up the next morning in the middle of the forest, near running water. I sat up but I was unable to see anything - everything was blurry! I reached up to my face to check if I was wearing my glasses (I was as I had forgotten to remove them last night) before taking them off to clean them. Suddenly, I could see everything in perfect clarity. It was amazing - for so long my glasses had ruled my life but now I didn't need them to see! It was bliss…

A figure stirred beside me and the caramel hair of Persephone (aka Seph) came into view. I chuckled at the messy blob on her head and she glared at me, pulling a hairbrush out of her bag and applying dry shampoo. Kels was still lying on the ground staring at the sky while Sherlock Holmes was inspecting every rock in the glade.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!" stated Kels as she began to skip round the most perfect place I have ever seen. The trees were tall with emerald green leaves and the grass seemed to be clipped to exactly the right length. A small brook meandered through the middle of the glade and tiny fish could be seen beneath its glassy surface.

"Hey Fin! Where are your glasses?" shouted Kels.  
"I don't need them," I explained, "I can see fine!"  
"How?"  
I shrugged my shoulders and watched as Seph tied her hair back, revealing a pair of rather pointed ears.  
"Oh Eru this can't be happening!" I cried. They all turned to look at me with interest in their eyes. "WE ARE ELVES!" Everyone immediately checked their ears and they all found the same result.

"That would explain your sudden ability to see," mused Di who was looking at her reflection intently, "but that is not logically possible since we have a certain molecular structure which would not change under normal circumstances."  
"But these aren't flipping normal circumstances!" yelled Kels. "We are in some damned forest far away from home and we were dropped here by some crazy Doctor Who tunnel in the TV!"  
"How we got here is simple," started Di. "It is a distortion of space-time in the form of a temporal tunnel which opened because…"

"English please?" I asked, rather confused.  
"A wormhole."  
"Ok Sherlock, it's Watson's turn to do some deduction," said Persephone, stepping forward. "We have travelled through a wormhole to a parallel universe and we are now in a forest. This forest, if I am correct, is the one that does surround Rivendell, as that is the image the TV showed before the wormhole opened. It was like a preview."  
This made complete sense and I knew we all felt the same.

"I need a tall tree!" she declared before searching around. As all of us were still in a stunned stupor, Seph found a tree herself and began to climb up its strong limbs. After she was high enough she took her compass from her bag and began to look around.  
"Edge of the forest is that way - west," she said pointing behind us. "So we want to head this way!" she said, turning around.  
"But don't we want to leave the forest?" inquired Kels.  
"No - we want to get to Rivendell!"

So we set off into the trees, after Seph had filled up the flask in her bag with water. As we were strolling along, Di decided to voice some of her previously hidden thoughts.  
"From what all of you have told me of this 'War of the Ring' and its effects on Middle Earth, I can deduce that, by the state of the land, the war has either not yet arrived in this place or it has long since passed." We all began to worry. What if the help we were searching for was no longer there?

"However," continued Di, "As you have already told me that most elves left for the Grey Havens after the war, I can safely say that we are currently in a time before the war, as this forest is quite obviously tended to by elves. I would say it's about 5 years prior to the events in the first book of your beloved series. Give or take a month or two."

We all silently praised the Valar (except Kels, who screamed her thanks at the top of her lungs) and continued on our journey. I began to wonder if Arwen was real and soon had devised a range of different ways to kill her and make her suffer. I would enjoy torturing her.  
I smiled evilly and the others just rolled their eyes at me. They knew what I was thinking about. Soon Kels joined me and we began to have an animated discussion on what would hurt the 'noble maiden' the most. As we did not want any passing elves (if there were any) to understand, we began to refer to Arwen 'Ser-hurtyn', which was 'Idiot-star' in Welsh, rather than 'Evenstar'. We stopped for lunch after a little while and Seph started up the conversation on who we wanted to meet. To be honest I was feeling really homesick and I didn't feel like seeing anyone. Perhaps tomorrow I would tell Seph of my desire to return to Cardiff. I had a strange feeling that she wasn't going to like it.

My thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud voice singing in Greek, and I groaned inwardly. Seph was the best singer in the group but when she decided to sing rude songs she had learnt in Greece the situation could turn embarrassing rather quickly.

I looked at Di who just rolled her eyes. Di had wavy, shoulder length ebony hair that perfectly framed her narrow white face and golden brown eyes. We were all average looking but becoming an elf does wonders on your complexion. Your skin becomes smoother than a piece of polished marble and all of your facial features seem to change to compliment you.

"Thank Eru," I thought to myself. "All that acne, gone forever!"

I looked over at the other two. Kelly's waist length chocolate hair was plaited and her 'muddy brown' eyes laughed with a never ending happiness. Seph threw back her head and began to laugh. She was your typical picture of a Greek nymph. Caramel hair, stormy blue eyes that were always sparkling with mischief and a heart shaped face. I had always been jealous of her tan. My skin just burned. I had shoulder length silvery blond hair with a fiery red highlight at the front. My eyes were a mix of brown and green which is not the sort of colour that attracts attention. Not that I cared. I rolled my eyes again when Seph started a new song.

The rest of the day passed by quickly and we soon found that the sun was setting. We made camp and munched on some knick-knacks from Seph's bag. Just before settling down for the night, I called everyone to the fireside and made a speech:  
"Friends and family," I began. We all chuckled at my use of the word 'family'. It was true enough. We were all close enough to be sisters and I would no doubt introduce ourselves to others in this way.

"We are gathered here to say a final prayer to my beloved and loyal glasses." Seph and Kels burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter and Di allowed herself a smile and a huff of amusement.  
"They have been with us so long and despite everything I am rather upset to let them go," I exclaimed, wiping mock tears from my face. "Could everyone please come up and say their final goodbyes?" Di was first.  
"Oh, glasses -" began Di.  
"They are called Henry," whispered an amused Kels.  
"Oh Henry - though you have made the life of my friend miserable and been a constant reminder of her coming blindness, I shall miss you dearly. You were part of our daily lives. I bid you adieu." Kels was up next.

"Henry, my dear Henry. I know that there was a hole in your bucket," Kels paused as Seph and I burst into dramatic laughter. "You were so amazing. A constant source of amusement and a great subject for teasing. Yes Seph, I hear you snickering too! I will miss you dearly old friend and I hope the Valar judge you well in the halls of Mandos." Now for Seph - what we had all been waiting for. She emerged with a poem:  
_  
"Never have glasses meant so much to me,  
You helped my dear friend Fin to see,  
The world with you was always bright,  
Helping Fin to see in dark and light,  
But now it comes to the end of your day,  
There is only one thing left to say,  
You have been a burden far too long,  
So as I come to the end of my song,  
Heed this warning little friend,  
Your time with us has come to an end..."_

We all leant forward waiting for the signal.  
"Kill them!" she yelled the war cry and we all pounced on the unfortunate pair of glasses (which had been christened Henry less than two minutes ago) and began to destroy every piece. They were thrown up against trees, stood on, danced on and after we had had our fun we sat down and watched as Seph ceremoniously re-collected all the pieces and stood above the fire with the remains in her hands.

"By the power of Zeus and the gods of Olympus," she exclaimed doing her 'I'm a Greek, look at me' routine. "I cast you Henry back to the fires of the Titans from whence you came!" She later admitted that a lot of inspiration came from Elrond's speech.  
"I destroy your final remains and may you be lost to us forever!" She threw the remnants of my old glasses into the fire and I watched, satisfied, as the remains burned and melted. I had had my revenge.

After these strange antics I agreed to take first watch that night. Nothing happened; I only saw a few foxes and deer. I spent my time listening to the sounds of the forest which would have been inaudible had I not had elvish ears, until Di finally came to relieve me of my duty. I have never slept so well.

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**A.N/****We would like to reply to anonymous reviews as well so...**

**Guest (Emilyy): Thank you for your lovely review! We will try to upload a new chapter to this story every three/four days. I love Glorfindel too! He is probably my favourite character...**

**AnonymousReaderX: I'm so sorry that you don't have a fanfiction account! Don't worry though, none of my friends do either ;) Uma would love to say that she is really happy that you have caught the Doctor Who reference. We have added some character descriptions into this chapter, however if you are still confused then we will post a character profiles in the next chapter. Just drop us a review to tell us! ;)**

******As usual, please review! It is our fuel... :))**


	4. Arachnophobia

**Disclaimer... We own nothing! Enjoy the chapter! Oh and are you getting confused with all the characters? If so we can post a character's profile in our next chapter! Tell us if you think that will help - or if we are just being paranoid!**

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Chapter 4 – Arachnophobia

Kels' POV

The sun had just risen in the sky when Seph jumped on me in a wild attempt to wake me up from my peaceful slumber by climbing up one of the trees and then dropping down on top of my chest.

"For the love of Gandalf Seph! Stop doing that!" She chuckled and skipped off. I remembered the events of the last two days. I was an elf. I had always wanted to be one of the Eldar. I sat up and Seph shared around some strips of beef jerky and gave us each a sip from her flask.  
"Allons-y!" I yelled, leaping up and running through the trees, closely followed by my companions. As an elf I was able to run much faster than as a human. Life was perfect. Everything about my new body made me feel strong and confident. It had also however made Seph even more reckless than usual. She would leapt from tree to tree and, every once and a while, drop down unexpectedly and land like a cat. The final count was twelve heart attacks for me, fifteen for Fin and none for Di as she seemed to expect our friend's sudden appearance every time.  
"Hey Kels, Fin..." whispered Seph. "How about we freak out our never-scared companion known as Diana Asimova?"

"How?" I replied, keeping a low volume.

"Spiders," she whispered, eyes twinkling with mischief. Seph had always had a love for tricks. She would create endless trouble and lie her heart out when she had first arrived in Cardiff from Greece. Everyone began to call her Silvertongue for her ability to carve words. This also meant that she told fantastic stories. That's how we became friends. She was telling a story to the preschoolers one day and I found myself being drawn into the little world she was creating. Soon we were talking and I introduced her to Fin and Di. We had been inseparable since.  
We searched the forest floor and I successfully found a spider of quite a reasonable size and weight and passed it to the master of crime.

"Oh damn, I dropped my lighter!" said Seph, bending down to pretend to find it. What an amazing actress she was! The all-knowing Di didn't suspect a thing. Seph had actually dropped her lighter on purpose and had bent down to not only pick it up, but to place the large arachnid onto the shoe of the victim. We continued to walk when suddenly Di froze.  
"There is something on my leg!"

Seph grinned, making her appear wild and feral. We watched intently as the spider, which I had christened Big Joe, crawled slowly up her jeans.  
"SPIDER!" screamed Di losing all of her normally stable composure in a moment of sudden fear of a creature no bigger than her hand. "It could kill me!" Seph and I began to roll around in  
the grass in a fit of total hysterics.  
"You!" she yelled at Seph. "You did- Arggghhh!" She screamed as Big Joe moved up onto her lower torso. After Seph had finished crying with laughter she calmly removed the spider and walked back to Di.

"Sorry about that Di, but the trickster inside me was bored." Di rolled her eyes and continued along trying to pretend none of it had ever happened. I ran ahead with Seph feeling my muscles relax as the warm morning breeze ruffled my chocolate hair and smiled as I watched Seph's hair fly out behind her like a caramel coloured banner.

"I love Middle Earth!" exclaimed Seph and I nodded in agreement. All of my wildest dreams had come true in one freak moment of crossing ley lines. A rift. But that would not be the only rift in our story.

"I would actually prefer to go home..." muttered Fin.  
"What?" asked Seph turning around to face Fin. "How can you want to return now?"  
"We are teenagers Seph! We can't stand up against the might of Sauron's army! We are weak! We need to finish school!"  
"Well I love it here!" retorted a rather upset looking Seph. "It's perfect! And who cares about school?"

"All I want to do is get to Rivendell so Elrond can help us get home!"  
"If anyone can get us home it's Seph," pointed out Di, "as she brought us here."  
Seph took a step back and shook her head.

"Look guys, I haven't the slightest idea how to get back," she begged. "I have no clue!"

"Then you're useless!" Fin yelled. "If you aren't gonna help us, go away. All you are going to do is make our lives a misery by playing your stupid tricks and messing our heads with your silver tongue! You know, despite everything you say, you are just as feeble as Persephone from Greek mythology. I know you will never admit it but you are as worried about home as I am. I want to go home to my parents. I know you live with your aunt and you have no parents Persephone, but you must at least care a little bit about the world we left behind."

Fin and Di carried on but I stayed to put a hand on Seph's shoulder as a couple of tears rolled down her face. Fin had touched two very sore spots in one go. Her name Persephone which Seph hated as it made her sound weak, and her parents. More tears slid unbidden down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the edge of her sleeve as her stormy ocean blue eyes began to gleam as they always did when the trickster inside of her began to formulate a plan.  
The Silvertongue was at it again. The rest of the day passed smoothly but the tension seemed to flow like tar through the air. Whatever plan Seph had concocted, she was waiting to set it off.  
We set up camp without any problems and I soon began to doubt that she was actually going to pull some prank on the others. That was of course until she offered to take first watch.  
Suddenly I was worried about Fin and Di's health. I sat up next to her and stared up at the stars.

"Kels..." she whispered tentatively, so the elvish ears of our friends could not hear. I turned to her and she stared deep into my eyes, their gleam gone. "I'm leaving."  
"WHAT!" I hissed just a little too loudly. She put a finger on my lips, silencing me.  
"I'm not wanted here... I'm going to the Shire. If I can't protect my friends then I will go and find Frodo and protect him!"

"I'm coming with you, then!" I said smiling encouragingly. "I want to meet some hobbits."  
I stood up, grabbing Seph's hand and pulling her up. I watched as Seph pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen from her bag and wrote a small note before joining me and handing the sheet to me. Quickly reading it through I shook my head and sighed,  
"Always had a penchant for the dramatic, haven't you Seph?"

She grinned, but I could see the troubled depths of her eyes - she was just as uncomfortable as I about leaving our friends here. I added a few lines of my own to the letter and then placed it next to Fin's makeshift bed. We walked away into the night without looking back, otherwise I was sure to lose my resolve.

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**A.N/**

**Emilyy: Thank you so much! The glasses thing was a spur of the moment thing, we came up with the idea and just couldn't let it go! More actual story plot will be happening in the next three or four chapters.**

**Please review! You get cookies! :)**


	5. Horsing Around

**A/N. Hello this is Maddie the creator *Dun Dun Dun* I am so sorry it took so long, our beta was away where wifi did not exist. We have added a little extra bit of bonus material at the beginning ;) hope you enjoy!****  
**

**Disclaimer: Sadly we do not own anyone or anything from LOTR. We do however own Seph, Fin, Di and Kels and Thor (you will meet him in this chapter). If you use them for your own creative purposes I will chase you to the end of the world and back again in my TARDIS and my pet Sherlock Holmes will put you in jail. You have been warned ;) enjoy!**

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Chapter Five - Horsing Around

Di's POV

Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. I struggled to find synonyms to convey the full horror of what had happened. Persephone and Kelly had departed, and the only sign that nothing was wrong with them (apart from the usual) was a note written in Seph's hand:

_Finna O'Callaghan and Diana Asimova,_

Her use of our full names made the message all the more formal and final.

_Sorry for leaving you like that! It's for the best though. Despite everything that's happened I truly believed that we could work this out and have a great time here in Middle Earth. I know you Fin. You've always wanted to come to this place just as much as I have... I don't understand - why don't you trust me anymore? So that is why I am leaving with Kelly to go and find the hobbits. I am sure we'll meet again. Good luck, but I'm sorry I cannot stay with you guys. You've got Di, so you're sure to find a way out of this beautiful place. If that's what you really want._

_Your friend,_

_Persephone Matthias_

_P.S. This is Kelly. I'm so sorry 'bout this. We are still best friends but you know Seph, she's so stubborn. I had to go with her to make sure she didn't hurt herself or do something stupid. Love you guys! Oh Eru, I'm being so emotional..._

Finna stood by my side, a tear rolling down her cheek.  
"It's my fault," she whispered so quietly that, had I been human rather than elf, the sounds would have been inaudible.  
"It is not your fault - we all contributed to this disaster's occurrence. Don't blame yourself."  
I find myself comforting other people very infrequently, as that is usually Kelly's department in our little quartet. This meant that I was quite unprepared for Fin's subsequent reaction, as I had been sure that my involvement would just make the current situation worse. However, to my surprise (let us be clear that I am not surprised often, and that these last few extraordinarily odd days had been anomalies); she nodded and calmly began to carry on the walk to Rivendell.

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Seph's POV

We had ran all through the night and due to our very fast pace we reached the edge of the forest a couple of hours after sunrise. Surely they would have found that we were missing by now.

"So, the plan?" asked Kels who had stayed in a rather optimistic mood despite the events of the previous night.

"It took approximately 35 days for the hobbits to get to Rivendell from Hobbiton." seeing her worried face I sighed and smiled at her. "however they had to go the long way through the forests because of the black riders. There are no black riders now so we can take the road. Also, they stopped with Tom Bombadil for two nights. So, I would say that it will take us about 2 weeks, maybe less to reach the Shire if we keep up this pace."

"Seph?" Kels inquired.  
"Yes" I replied hurdling a rock as we began to cross the river Bruinen.  
"Don't elves not have to sleep? I know they can sleep but Legolas slept while walking in the two towers!"  
"Good point Kels! If we keep up a good pace and don't stop I say we could be there by the end of the week!" we exchanged grins and began to wade through the river (which was in no way deep) and hurried on towards Bree. As we walked I took out some food and we quickly shared it before storing the rest in my bag. I had a sudden pang of guilt as I recalled that I had left our friends with no provisions. Kelly noticed my distress and pulled my iPod out of my bag. I had actually brought all our iPod as I kept them (and a solar charger, courtesy of Di) with me at all times. She began to play one of my Taylor Swift albums and I felt all of my troubles fade away with the music. Soon I was laughing again with Kelly; her happiness is infectious, as we skipped along the path to Bree.

We didn't pass many people. Anyone we did pass stared at us in astonishment. Well wouldn't you if two elves skipped down the street wearing unearthly clothes and singing 'Call me maybe' as loud as possible. Yeah, I would too.

The day was rather uneventful actually. I picked some berries to add to our provisions and I consulted my map multiple times to check that we were indeed travelling in the direction. I missed Fin. I missed her horrible comments about Arwen and the way she would annoy me just for the hell of it. I miss Di too. I miss the Sherlock jokes, the endless, useless, and sometimes useful, information that she was constantly pouring out. I wondered if they missed me to. If Di was right and this was before the war then I would go with Frodo to Rivendell when the time came. Then I would meet my companions again and we would go with the fellowship and help them on their quest. That is of course, if the others don't leave first. No matter, I will train to prove myself worthy to join the quest of the ring and whatever happens wherever we all are. I will reunite us again.

"People are going to ask us where we are from!" said a worried looking Kelly "What do we say? The elves of Cardiff? The elves of Wales? The elves of-"

"Hush." I said cutting her off "There are different races of elf. The Teleri, the Noldor and the Sindar are the main ones. We are a whole new breed of elf. And we speak languages unknown to this world. We speak Welsh, French, Irish, Greek, and Russian. We all come from different backgrounds. I will give the iPod a new name in Greek, our world a name in Irish, our weapons in Russian and our race in French. You are the French one, you choose a name."  
"Beni" was the reply "blessed."  
"My iPod shall be known as... IPod... I can't be bothered to think of a Greek word when iPod is so catchy."  
We both laughed as we continued to walk into the night.

"I would very much like to meet some more elves!" announced Kelly suddenly.  
"As would I." I replied. Looking around at the scenery. It was no way as beautiful and perfect as that of Rivendell but it felt somehow more natural than the overly quiet forests around the elven sanctuary. This forest was teeming with life. The birds and day creatures had gone to rest a few hours ago but the creatures of the night had come out to play. With my enhanced night vision I could make out various creatures and hear the sounds of even more.

"I miss them." Kelly whispered looking up at me with sad eyes and shoving her hands in her pockets.

"I know... I miss our sisters too." Kels smiled at the word sisters and seemed instantly comforted.

"What if the hobbits don't like us?"  
"They will. Everyone likes you." I gave her a wink and continued to travel down the dark road. "Anyway, I think we shall stay in Bree for the night when we reach there in a couple of days time. I have a strange feeling that someone who understands our situation will be there."

"Gandalf?"  
"Perhaps. Who knows?"  
"Gandalf." replied Kels who had always been unable to understand what a rhetorical question was.

'_If you don't want people to answer the question. Don't ask it!'_  
That was her view on the matter.  
Rolling my eyes I grabbed her hand and sped up slightly. There was someone behind us.

The pace of our followers footsteps sped up also and my heart began to pound in my chest. I could hear two sets of feet making a lot of noise. Whoever they were they were large and they were hot on our heels. They were slowly gaining ground and just as I was about to scream Kels' voice broke the silence.

"Look! A horse!" A horse. How could I have been so blind as to think it was men following us? I must be paranoid.  
"Where is its rider?" continued Kels. I couldn't help but laugh.  
"It's a wild horse silly. It has no reigns and no saddle which implies that it has no rider and that it is following us on its own free will." The horse gave a whinny as if it was agreeing with me before kneeling down to give us easy access to its back.

"It wants us to climb on!" exclaimed a rather excited companion of mine. Her face suddenly fell.  
"But I don't know how to ride a horse! Especially a big one like this!" I briefly thanked my riding lessons from a few years ago and hopped up onto the beautiful stallion's back. After hauling up Kels I took hold of the creature's mane and we began to trot leisurely along the path.

"Why did it come to us?" Kels inquired, stroking the horses silky smooth chestnut fur.  
"A perk of being elves I guess. A strange connection with nature and a love of animals." smiling I tapped the horse's side with my foot, encouraging it to speed up a bit.

"Thor." muttered the hungry elf behind me.  
"What?" she smiled.  
"It looks like a Norse horse so I have called him Thor." I let a smile dance on my lips as I desperately hoped that our new companion did not have the same attitude as the famed God of Thunder.

Kelly coughed and smiled.  
"There was a mighty God called Thor who came from the realm of Asgard; he controlled the thunder and the storms and bent them to his will..."  
Kels continued to sing and I smiled as she made up the whole song. I slowly drifted into a peaceful state and all that could be heard was Kelly's singing and the soft clip clop of hooves.

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**A/N. Thanks for reading! I feel sorry for Seph... None stop horse riding for the next two days, poor girl. I hope you liked the little bonus at the start. So, just a reminder, review! Please :D It would mean the world to us! A pet Thor for anyone who reviews! **

**Also, there is going to be a surprise character in the next chapter. Our first book character! 10 brownie points for whoever guesses right! Review and tell us your guess.  
**

**Maddie x  
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	6. Lumpy, burnt, mush

**A/N. me: Hello again! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, anyone who has added us to their favourite authors list or is following the story.**

**Maddie: Yeah thanks! Also I officialy give brownie points to: DORKDOG, CaribbeanTrinidadian and HiddenElf-Bookworm  
**

**Me: Uma, you do the disclaimer  
**

**Uma: Fine  
**

**Disclaimer-  
**

**Uma: We do not own anything from LOTR. We do however own the OCs so you are not allowed to use them. Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoy this chapter.  
**

**Maddie: And for all TMI fans we have added a reference so look carefully ;D ENJOY!**

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Fin's POV  
By noon we had silently come to terms with the loss of our provisions, and more importantly, the loss of our friends. We were still heading East. We had been able to gain our bearings when I revealed that Kels had actually made me sit through an episode of Bear-Grylls just in case I was lost somewhere without a compass, which coincidentally is actually what had happened. We ate a few blackberries from a bush that Di found and continued to walk in silence. Even though Di said it wasn't my fault I couldn't get over the feeling that it was, at least for the most part, my fault.

_As soon as we get to Rivendell we shall go home._  
That is what I had been thinking for most of this journey because after I have seen some elves and talked to some characters I thought I would be ready to leave. But Seph was right. I wanted to be here just as much as she did and even though I couldn't admit it I would never be able to leave this world, which I had longed to visit for so long, easily. Especially now that it would only be two of us returning home leaving the other two here.

I had first met Kels when she moved here from France, she was actually rather shy and would avoid talking at all costs. One day some of the older kids were bullying her about it and were poking her and trying to take her lunch money. Something inside her snapped and she said, "Thank you for your great hospitality but I must be going now." at which she picked up her bag and walked off. She was a lot more confident after that. She stood up for me when I was teased about my accent.

"How much further do you think?" asked Di, breaking my concentration. "I would say three, maybe four days max unless Rivendell is charmed to be unseen. Then we are in trouble."

"This whole forest is enchanted." I countered. "I doubt they would have charms like that to keep out their own kind." I really didn't know. I was just trying to reassure myself.  
"Do you hear that?" Di whispered suddenly. I paused to listen and I could swear I heard something approaching us.  
"I don't know what it is Di but I think we should hide!" We both quickly scrambled up a nearby tree and hid ourselves behind the branches. The noise was getting closer and I squeezed my eyes shut willing it not to be some evil creature or other, hungry for blood.

"Daro." said a silky voice. I opened my eyes and peered down. What I saw stunned me. Below us was a beautiful blonde elf sitting on the back of a snow white horse. "Lasto." he said smoothly patting his horse's neck. I looked at Di who was also surveying this stranger and I realised that she was beginning to slip. Di did not really know how to climb trees, she would sit beneath them reading while we partook in this 'childish' activity, so could not assume an appropriate position to stop the inevitable fall.

With a yelp Di dropped to the forest floor landing on two feet in a crouch like a cat. I followed her with a somersault and immediately wished I hadn't. The elf was staring at me with eyes the colour of the emerald grass I had first seen in this forest.

"Nin ester Glorfindel telin o Imladris. Heniach nin? Man eneth lin?" I just stood there dumbfounded as this elf began to speak to me in elvish. This was an embarrassing situation. I knew a bit of elvish but not this much.  
"I speak the common tongue." I explained slowly, hoping that this elf man would understand me and that the common tongue was indeed their name for English. A look of realisation crossed his face and he grinned smugly.  
"I said they call me Glorfindel I come from Rivendell. I then asked you if you could understand me which you obviously could not before asking your name." he smiled and I felt my thirteen year old heart flutter. I had never seen another elf.  
"I am Finna and this is my sister Diana." I explained. "And are you THE Glorfindel or just Glorfindel?"  
"Pray tell me what you mean by THE Glorfindel."  
"I mean the Glorfindel who killed a balrog and died in the process but was then brought back to Middle Earth from Mandos!"  
"In that case I am THE Glorfindel." he said chuckling. "May I ask you what you are doing here and where your destination is."  
"Well we head for Rivendell but we are not sure how we got here..."  
"Temporal tunnels!" hissed Di.  
"You expect him to understand that?"  
"Understand what?" asked Glorfindel who was beginning to look rather confused about the whole situation.  
"How we got here. I will try and keep it simple for you." His emerald eyes watched me intently making me feel nervous.

"Well I guess it all started with Seph's birthday party. Kelly, Di and I were at her house and we were watching Lord of the Rings."  
"Wait... first, who are Seph and Kelly and secondly... what is Lord of the Rings?" I could have burst out laughing at Glorfindel had it not been for his serious face.  
"Well Seph or Persephone and Kelly are our other two... sisters. We had an argument and split up..." the pain was evident in my voice and he obviously decided that it would be better not to push me. "I will explain Lord of the Rings later. All you need to know right now is that it is a moving picture. So we were watching it and talking when I brought out a cake with a candle on top which is traditional for birthdays were I come from. Seph made a wish when she blew the candle out. She wished we could come here. So suddenly a gate like thing opens where the moving picture used to be and we were taken here. That is all we know."  
"So... Lord of the Rings?" asked Glorfindel who seemed interested in the 'moving pictures'.  
"Back where I come from in a city called Cardiff in the UK-"  
"Cardiff? UK? Alas I have never heard of such places!" I bit my tongue to try and keep in the laughter. His lack of understanding was hilarious. He was staring at me wide eyed and confused like a small child. Except he was a tall, handsome elf. Amusing combination.  
"I'm coming to that! I think I will let Di explain." Di stepped forward awarding me with a small smile. She was going to enjoy herself. Giving lectures is one of her favourite hobbies.

"We do not come from your world." she stated simply. "We come from another called Earth, no Middle, just Earth. There are no elves, wizards, dwarves, hobbits or any other non human creatures other than your basic animals. In our world, your world is fiction, a book which was turned into moving pictures or films as they are usually known." This was an unusually short lecture for Di.  
"Prove it!" I raised an eyebrow at this and Glorfindel smirked. "Tell me something no one else will know. Something private."  
"You mean like the fact that Elrond had a brother Elros and they were raised by two of the sons of Feanor after they killed his parents? And that Elros chose to be mortal and died?" I asked casually leaning against a tree. Glorfindel stood their gobsmacked and I could imagine Seph and Kels laughing and saying something on the lines of.  
'_you got told!_'  
I chuckled quietly before continuing.  
"Would you like more? Or is that sufficient?"  
"That is sufficient." He replied still looking rather stunned. "But how don't you know elvish when you know so much?"  
"I can speak some elvish mellon. It is my sister who does not yet speak any." Smiling he offered me his hand.  
"I will take you to the elven sanctuary and will pass your legacy on to Elrond. He will help you I am sure of it." He hauled me up onto his his horse before pulling up Di. There was barely any room left on the horse and I thanked Eru that Di and I were not adults or there would be no space at all. I took a while to look at Glorfindel. I can't believe that I finally met him! He looked as I had expected. Pointed ears, golden hair, unusually good looking but had a strong build and the three warrior braids in his hair. He had seen his way through many wars and I almost wanted to warn him that another was soon to come. But I could not. Changing fate is against the rules and I intend to play by them. We all will. Even Seph.

"Fin!" Di whispered in my ear.  
"What?"  
"Do you think I can contact Seph using my iPod?"  
"It's getting dark she won't be up! And she has your iPod!"  
"No she doesn't. I removed it from her bag to see if I could email home using that internet and signal creator I made last year and implanted in each of our iPods."  
"Did it work?"  
"Well my ISC worked but we seem to be in a different time zone to Earth. However Seph and Kels reside here in Middle Earth so I might be able to reach them if Seph has her ISC on."  
"It's worth a shot!" I replied turning around as Di facetimed Seph.  
"Her iPod is off!"  
"Try Kelly."  
"Off as well..."  
"Damn." we would try again later. I would not give up trying to contact them. "Have you seen elves before my ladies?" Glorfindel asked, turning his head to look at us. "Other than each other of course." I rolled my eyes slightly and Di chuckled.  
"No we have not." I explained. "You are the first."  
"Then I am afraid to say that any elves you see after this point will not live up to your expectations." He winked and I giggled. The guy was doing an impression of Jace from TMI.

We rode for a while longer until Glorfindel decided that it was time to make camp. He leapt off the horse before helping Di and dismount, which ended with Di falling over. Di isn't one for physical activity. She prefers a mental challenge. When I mean she isn't a fan of physical activity I mean that the only sports she did were ones where we were all forced to take part by either Seph or Kels, they are the more sporty ones. Thinking about it we all handle situations differently. Di would come up with a systematic plan to overcome whatever situation she was in and would try and avoid all physical activity. Kels would try and discuss with them, and if that didn't work, she would then physically persuade them with her 'awesome karate skills' as she likes to call them. I would debate my way out of it or, perhaps, just avoid the situation all together. Seph, however, is the sort of reckless 'act first, ask questions later' person who would attack a person with any means without wondering about the consequences and, 99% of the time, it works. I giggled as I imagined Seph kicking Sauruman in the face. Di just gave me a strange look. She was far too serious sometimes. She acted like an adult and I am sure that on certain occasions the word 'fun' did not register in her mental dictionary. I watched Glorfindel make a fire and he took out a pot and some provisions.

"Can you cook?" he asked turning to me.  
"Yes." I replied, smiling sweetly. "Why?"  
"I am going to hunt some game so I was wondering if you could prepare a meal while I was away."  
"Sure thing my Lord." I said with a giggle and I smirked.  
"I excuse myself from dinner." Exclaimed Di suddenly. "I find that I am no longer hungry." Glorfindel raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He left the camp and I immediately started up with dinner. Di sat a little way off examining a new plant she had found and I was too busy watching her to notice that the dinner started burning. I quickly removed it from the fire before scooping out some for me to eat. I took a bite and grinned. It was, as always, terrible. I grinned to myself. My cooking skills were legendary among the four of us as appalling. I knew my cooking skills were little more than non existent but I couldn't wait to see the look on Glorfindel's face. I curled up in a blanket that the elf had provided me with and got ready to fall asleep. Di lay down next to me and we waited for Glorfindel to arrive. He came back quickly and we could hear his look of surprise as he surveyed dinner.  
"Lumpy, burnt, mush. Brilliant." We heard him mutter before he strode of to prepare his own bed. He did not sleep though. He sat and surveyed the surrounding forest in case there were enemies around. Yawning slightly and turning over I closed my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

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**Me: There you have it! Chapter 6! Thank you for reading and remember to review!**

**Uma: Many thanks to you all and I hope you never have to suffer Fin's cooking.  
**

**Me: Hey! I can cook!  
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**Maddie: *rolls eyes* there is a difference between cooking and burning you know. The character Fin is based on you so she has all of your quirks.  
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**Me: Just like Seph has a mad temper and a reckless streak?  
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**Maddie: Well... yeah. So any way, changing the subject... Please review it would mean the world to us. Also, I am starting a competition called who loves who. A couple of pairings have been decided (one is already obvious) but we would like you to review and state who would work well together. Let it first be known that Arwen has been cleverly removed from our story so Aragorn is free ;)  
**

**Uma: But please just don't put Di with anyone idiotic.  
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**Me: Thanks for reading and keep reviewing!  
**


	7. Take Everything in your Stride

**A.N/ Hi! Sorry for how long it took us to update... Maddie and Uma were off to all sorts of exotic places while I was left in cold rainy England. Not that I don't like our country, it's just not as, well, sunny as Rhodes... So they were stranded in no wifi zones so no chapter could be posted. But thank you anyway for all your lovely reviews! No matter how cheesy it sounds and how many times I say it, it really means the world to us!XD I do a little tap dance each time I see a new message in my email inbox... OK, enough of my ranting now! On with the chapter! XD Another familiar character in this one, see if you can guess from the title...**

**Disclaimer... We own nothing, except our OCs...**

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Chapter Seven - Take Everything in your Stride

Kels' POV

I had stolen some pieces of beef from Seph's bag which contained almost anything you could ever need. I had thought that I had gotten away with my little theft until Seph said,

"Hope you are enjoying your midnight snack!"

That had put me off eating slightly but I still manage to finish the pieces without my stomach rejecting. It had been three days since we had left the others and I had spent most of that on the back of our faithful horse Thor though I would often jump off during the day to stretch my legs or get water from the stream that was next to the path. Horse riding gives you terrible cramps so I would spend at least 20 minutes every morning trying to get rid of them. Seph had been almost totally silent for the entire journey to Bree. I had never seen her so quiet.

"Are we there yet?" I asked for the millionth time that day. I was actually just trying to get Seph to talk and prove that she was actually alive.  
"Almost... and can you stop bugging me! I'm fine. It's just sleeping, riding a horse and talking at the same time is hard. I can triple task but it takes a lot of effort." So that's why she had been silent. She was sleeping.

I pulled out my iPod and turned on my ISC so I could go on YouTube to cheer her  
up. As soon as it turned on a message popped up. Two missed FaceTimes from Di.  
Damn... I wasn't going to tell Seph right now because she would feel bad. I would tell her later and she would decide what to do. I ignored the message and went onto the Hobbit Rap.  
"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard;  
they're taking the hobbits to Isengard..." My iPod continued to play and a  
smile crept up onto her lips. She chuckled gently and ruffled my hair like the affectionate older sister I had always seen her as. We rode for a couple more hours and I rested my head on her back.  
"Seph."  
"What is it pixie?" Kelly the pixie. Very fitting.  
"Di facetimed me earlier."  
"I was aware of that." she turned to look at me. "She messaged me too."  
"Shall I reply?" I highly doubted that it was a good idea but I would still ask.  
"No... It would be better if we did not. They are probably just checking that we are alive. I doubt they want us intruding on their business and causing them more grief." This made sense.  
"Could we email to say we are alive." a huff escaped the girl in front of me and she rolled her eyes.  
"Sure, sure." I proceeded to create an email that was brief and to the point.

_Hi guys, _  
_Hope you are Ok. We are alive and well enough at this current moment. _  
_Please do not reply or message us. It would be best if we cease contact until we meet again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder ;) I think you will agree that the best way to sort things is a little private time. Also, if you do plan on going home, talking to us is not going to help your resolve. We don't want to stop you, it is your choice. _  
_Until we meet again_  
_Kels x_  
_P.S. Miss you loads_  
_P.P.S. We are officially Beni elves if you wanted to know ;)_

I clicked the send button and smiled. I felt like I had let out some of the guilt in the message.

"Turn it off now. We are here!" I put the iPod in her bag and looked around nervously as people stared at us. I was extremely uncomfortable.  
"What are you doing? Have you never seen a couple of teenage girls before?" I can see why people looked though. We were young teenage elves on a large stallion wearing jeans and T-shirts which were obviously not worn here. In fact Seph's shirt read 'I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!' Seph is a fan of slogan tops. They warn people of her sarcasm and attitude early.  
"Leave my friend and me alone!"They seemed mightily offended by being yelled at by a young girl, but they could hear her threatening tone and backed off. I smiled. Seph would always protect me from such uncomfortable situations. We rode into the stables at the Prancing Pony and leapt off Thor leaving him with the stable boy.  
"How are we going to pay? I whispered quietly.  
"Don't worry. I have money."  
"This place's money?"  
"They use the old Victorian penny, shilling and pound system. I keep lots of those coins in my bag. We will have more than enough." Typical Seph. No organisational skills at all and she is ready for anything.  
"I also have a collection of Roman and Medieval coins, just in case they used those or something similar."  
I chuckled as we entered the inn and threw my arm around Seph and watched as she took a knife in a sheath from her bag put it around her waist.  
"In case some drunkards come at us..." Typical, all this time when we were breaking sticks and tearing food she had a knife.

While Seph went to find the owner and paid for our room; I looked around the room for a table. In the corner a man was sitting with a cloak covering his features and a pipe in his mouth. He seemed reasonably friendly. I made my way towards him and smiled.  
"Hello! How are you?" Although his face was hidden from us, I could tell he seemed confused.  
"What the hell are you doing Kels?" exclaimed Seph. "He could harm you, kidnap you or kill you! You don't talk to strangers!" I pouted and turned away.  
"Your friend speaks sense little one. I mean you no harm but others may have worse intentions. Two as young as you should not be travelling on your own. Where do you head?"  
"I know not your name or intentions. Why should I trust you with such information?"  
"They call me Strider and I assure you that I mean you no harm."  
"Aragorn?" I asked. It couldn't possibly be... Yet at the same time it must be.  
"How do you know my name?" I looked at Seph and she sighed.  
"Perhaps we had better sit down."

"Well Aragorn. To answer your first question, we head for the Shire," she began. "Do you believe in fairytales? In the impossible?"  
"Yes," he replied looking rather amused.  
"We are not from this world..."  
She paused, "In the world we come from your world is a story. A book. Due to magic in the ground under my house we were brought here. That is how we know about you. We are Beni elves. A race unknown to these lands."  
He chuckled and smiled at me. "I believe your story. No other elfling would wear such strange clothes, go on a journey unattended and walk up to a complete stranger." I blushed rather embarrassed. This was my favourite character, my child crush and he was talking to me. Somehow I doubted that Aragorn was completely like the book version. He seemed more like a big brother than the skilled warrior I argued with Fin about.  
"Sadly, I cannot help you for I head to Rivendell at dawn. However, if you indeed head to the Shire then I know someone who can help you."  
"Rivendell?" I asked.  
"Indeed."  
"If you see two strange elves like us could you please tell them that Seph and Kells say hello?"  
"Who are these other elves?"  
"Our sisters. We had an argument and split up." I smiled sadly and he returned it. I knew that they would be more pleased with this message than the email. This message proved that we were fine rather than just saying it to make them feel better.  
"I will indeed pass on the message for you milady. Now tomorrow when you rise there will be an old man in this seat. Go to him. He will help you." I smiled at him and Seph did the same.  
"Thank you for your kindness. I think we shall rest now for it has been a long and weary journey, especially for Seph as she has ridden two days and walked another with no rest stops. I sat behind her so I was able to gain some."  
"My pleasure and I hope you both rest well."  
We grinned and headed to our room. Seph suddenly rushed back to Aragorn, whispered something in his ear and then ran back. I could hardly hear his chuckle over the drunken laughter of all the other men. He smiled at me and winked from beneath his hood before continuing his smoke - very big brother behaviour.  
Seph pulled the key from her pocket and opened the door to our room and I flopped down on the bed to get some rest. Seph walked into the bathroom and began to clean herself in the shower with a mini vial of shower gel and shampoo. She came out ten minutes later smelling of oranges as always. She smiled and handed me the dry shampoo which I took happily and applied it to my hair. My body itself wasn't too dirty as I had washed in the stream yesterday.

"What did you tell Aragorn?" I asked yawning. "He looked rather smug."  
"I told him that he was your favourite character!" she said chuckling.  
"If I were not so tired I would kill you." I muttered.  
"He then told me that he liked my shirt but that he doubted that I was insane."  
"And what witty retort did you come up with?"  
"I wouldn't bet on it!" I laughed with her and it suddenly felt like we were back at her house on one of our regular sleepovers. I crawled under the covers on my bed and snuggled down into the pillow.  
"Goodnight Seph. If you have a bad dream just wake me up."  
"Thank you Kels." she whispered, her voice sincere. "I will. Goodnight." I blew out the candle on my bedside table yawned. Tomorrow would bring a brand new day and I couldn't wait. I curled up slightly and fell into a deep sleep.

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**A.N/ Thanks for reading! XD Please leave us a review! They are our fuel! Next chapter we are back with Di and Fin, see if you can guess the canon character! Drop us a review and I will PM you a preview. **


	8. One Annoyed Genius

**A.N/ I am soooooo sorry! This delay thing is happening way to often... It's time for excuses again! XD School has just started and I am piled under so much homework that I really had no time to upload anything even though the next chapter was written. Sorry guys :P Anyway, after completing (and failing) a latin test today, I felt I had left this sotry faaaaaar too long so here is the next chapter! Hope you like it :) Oh and do you guys like the front cover? Maddie's a bit of an artist and likes photoshop so... XD I can say that I am ecstatic! YAAAAAAY! I love Lord Elrond, he's one of my favourite characters in lotr. Lol, enough of my blabbing, on with the story :)**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing here...**

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Chapter Eight - One Annoyed Genius

Di's POV

Our first sign that our destination was near was the change in the sounds of the horse's hooves. The soft, peaty ground of the path on which we had been travelling became cobblestone as we approached the village, and the regular clip-clop noises became more pronounced, waking me from my meditative state. I gazed in wonder at the land before me: life could be seen everywhere, but instead of altering the surroundings to suit their purposes, the animals and elves who I supposed lived here had conformed to the will of nature itself. Tall buildings rose into the now violet sky, their spires creating a forest of emeralds, and I could not help being reminded of L. Frank Baum's city in Oz. As I was admiring the elegance of this magical place, I noticed that the horse's pace had slowed, and that we were now stopping beside a magnificent silver gate embedded with jewels. Dismounting, Glorfindel told us to remain beside the horse.

"Wait here, young maidens, for I will enter Rivendell first. The great Lord Elrond may not take kindly to being disturbed without prior notice as he is extremely busy at the current time, so I shall request an audience with him. I shall not be gone for long, so await my swift return. Farewell for now!" With that, he walked over to a cabin adjacent to the gate, where a guard elf was standing sentry beside the towering portal. He was ushered through without hesitation, as the elf had recognised Glorfindel as a figure of importance.

Once he was out of earshot, Fin poured out all the thoughts she had been keeping to herself in Glorfindel's presence.

"Oh my God, I can't believe that was really Glorfindel!" she cried. "He's so amazing: he has golden hair (well, obviously, 'cos that's why he's called Glorfindel); he defeated a flipping balrog; he..." Finna continued to list reasons why she adored the elf, but I largely ignored her as, having studied her body language over the past few days, I had come to the conclusion that she was experiencing what one might call a 'crush'. Instead of listening to her ramblings, I retreated into a calm state of mind and planned out what we were going to say to Elrond. I constructed a short speech briefly summarising our interdimensional journey and our travels through Middle Earth, which ended in a plea for help returning to our home.  
Before long, Glorfindel returned, a cheerful smile playing on his features.

"Lord Elrond has expressed his eagerness to meet with you. It is advisable that we proceed before the light fades completely," he told us.

So we were led into Rivendell, through broad streets and open colonnades, on our way to the Last Homely House, the home of Lord Elrond. Finna was excitedly giving me details about the founder of Rivendell as we followed Glorfindel towards our destination. At last we arrived at the residence of Elrond, and Glorfindel told us to go inside and meet him. From what Fin had told me, Elrond was incomparably wise and unfailingly kind (I am paraphrasing as those were not the exact words she used) and I was rather looking forward to meeting him, as I could draw many parallels between myself and the great elven ruler. Entering the House, I was struck by how grand the main hall was, but before I could look around properly a voice boomed through the large space.

"Welcome, travellers. I see you have come far on your plight. Please have a seat." We duly perched ourselves on the stately couch that was behind us. I quickly found the source of the voice, as the throne on which Lord Elrond was seated was positioned directly ahead of us. He looked young, younger than I had expected him to be, with shoulder length coal black hair and a face still untouched by old age. I could tell that his piercing grey eyes had seen a great many things, harbouring timeless pools of knowledge.

"Your true home has no Middle. Is that not true?"

Finna and I glanced at Glorfindel. Had he told Elrond from where we had come? A slight shake of the head indicated that Glorfindel was equally confused at Elrond's knowledge of us.

"Lord Elrond," I started, "we have come here in order to request your guidance in matters that are of great importance to us. As you are clearly at least partially aware of our current situation, it is perhaps safe to assume that you may be willing to aid us in returning to our home. Let me tell you our story..." I then proceeded to narrate a condensed version of what had happened since Seph's eventful birthday party, Elrond listening patiently and intently throughout. Once I finished speaking, a look of concern passed over his face.

"Surely you cannot expect to reasonably achieve your goal? I will try my utmost to assist you, but be warned that our efforts may be futile. Never in my long existence have I encountered a case such as this, but, given time, I may be able to aid you. For now, please make yourself at home in the guest quarters of the House, while I shall conduct some research into the events which to me you have described. Glorfindel will lead you to your rooms."

I was quite surprised at this development, as I had been of the opinion that I would be useful (rather instrumental in fact) to Elrond in his search for a solution to our problem. When I voiced this view, Elrond merely chuckled and said:

"I appreciate your offering child, as I can see you are keen and eager to help. However, you are undoubtedly exhausted after your long journey. Furthermore, the majority of our scriptures are written in the ancient elvish language of Quenya, which I am afraid to say you would not be able to comprehend, despite your astounding mental capabilities. Therefore it would be wise for me to complete my work alone."

He said this last statement with finality, and Glorfindel gestured for me to follow him through one of the many doors adjoining to the hall. I did so with some hesitation as I knew that Elrond had underestimated me. How could he presume that I had no knowledge of elvish languages? Although this was in fact true, I resolved from that moment that I would make it my duty to learn as much as I could about this strange new world, so I could never again be accused of ignorance.

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**A.N/ Please review! You'll get a preview of the next chapter if you do... Pretty please ;)**


	9. Double Trouble

**A.N/ Hi guys! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! We were soooo happy... Like jumping around like a crazy woman happy. Anyway, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is we are going to be doing the NaNoWriMo during November so there won't be any updates during that month as we will all be working our butts off trying to write a 50,000 word story and keeping up with school work at the same time. But until then, I promise to bug Uma and Maddie as much as possible and I will try to post more often... (that's the good news :) Errrrr, so on with the story!**

**Random fact: Arwen is a version of the Welsh name Arwyn (meaning fair, as in beautiful). Just thought it would be appropriate, Wales and all...**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing you recognise, especially not a pair of insanely amazing twins ;)**

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Chapter 9 - Double Trouble

Fin's POV

Walking through the corridors of the Last Homely House, I wondered why Di seemed so nervous. She had been fine in our meeting with Elrond, happy even, and then she had suddenly decided to hide in her head, her pale face framed by her straight, ebony hair which swished as she walked, staring intently at the ground. Meanwhile, I chose to look at Glorfindel who was walking just in front of me. He was exactly as he had been described in the books, and he was right here with me! The real Glorfindel! Right in front of me! I was feeling quite embarrassed now, so I was glad that he had my back to me. We reached our rooms surprisingly quickly, and Glorfindel left us to relax, much to my disappointment. I began to wonder if I would see him tomorrow and I was so caught up in my own imagination that I hardly noticed the beautiful room I had been given. Removing myself from my fantasy world I looked around. The room had large open windows with beautiful carvings all around the edge and was furnished in pale green and beige. A carved wooden door with a brass handle led into an en-suite bathroom which contained a washbasin, a toilet, a bath and a shower. In the main room there was a mahogany dresser and desk and even a large oak wardrobe in the corner which had already been filled with beautiful elvish dresses for me.

In the centre of the room there was a large double bed with emerald green silk covers that reminded me of Glorfindel's eyes. It was four poster and the posts were carved with images of animals and plants, winding up the poles. The drapes over the bed were a pale green velvet. I sat gently on the edge of the squishy mattress and prodded the pillows and found, to my excitement, that they contained goose down. Looking down at myself and my incredibly dirty clothes I decided that it was time to make first use of my new bathroom. Putting my clothes in the laundry basket I got into the shower and washed myself off. I could feel the dirt sliding off my body and the clean replacing it. After using some jasmine scented shampoo and gel that they had so kindly provided I got out and dried myself off. Since my normal clothes were now in the wash I slid into a smooth, silken elvish dress. It was pale green like my room and it had golden edging.

Feeling refreshed I decided to see what was through the third door. I had not noticed it when I came in but it was definitely there now. I walked through to find a room almost identical to mine except it was furnished in scarlet and bronze. Suddenly the bathroom door of this room opened and Di came out wearing a towel. She took one look at me and groaned.  
"So that is where that infernal door leads." She turned to face me again. "Your room." I chuckled as she grabbed a red dress and retreated into the bathroom to change. After a few seconds she returned and gave me a lopsided smile.  
"Do you wish to go and collect some food with me? I find myself rather ravenous." I grinned at her extensive vocabulary. She had a larger mental dictionary that 99.9% of the adult population back on earth. The 0.1% is her father Artemis who has to be the cleverest man I have ever met (perhaps excluding Elrond). Diana had inherited his talents.

We walked down several corridors until I smelt food, at which point I began to follow my now very keen sense of smell. We arrived at a large hall decorated lavishly with tapestries. We sat down at the long table and began a quick conversation on what things we were not looking forward to seeing again. School was one of them, although Diana strongly disagreed.  
"I am sorry. Are we interrupting something?" I turned to see two young identical elf men that looked strangely similar to Elrond.  
"No." I replied quickly.  
"Good. We thought you might be hungry." The first explained placing a bowl of warm soup in front of each of us. I drank and was immediately struck by how delicious this elven food was.  
"I'm Elrohir by the way and this is my twin Elladan. We are Elrond's sons."  
"I had guessed." They both laughed happily and I was surprised at how similar they seemed to Kelly. Not physically but they had the same laughter in their eyes. In fact it was so similar that I had to look away to stop myself from breaking down.  
"We heard that you know things. Tell us something - anything." I looked up at them. They were staring at me like puppies waiting for treats.  
"Arwen," I said turning back to my bowl of soup and drinking some more of the delicious liquid.  
"Did you say Arwen?" I turned back again. They looked shocked.  
"Indeed I did..."  
"Yes I did," Elrohir sighed. "Our sister… She was with our mother when the orcs attacked them. My mother was kidnapped and," he paused, his face twisted with a deep sadness that wrenched at my heart. "Sorry, we don't really like to talk about it…" He gave me an awkward, half smile and I murmured in return,

"I understand." I knew what had happened to the twin's mother anyway. It was simply horrific and was one thing that I had hoped Tolkien had gotten wrong ever since we arrived in Middle Earth.

"Thank you," Elrohir let out a sigh of relief. "Even after all this time, it is as fresh in our memories as the day it happened. Our little sister was dead and mother mutilated beyond even my father's skilled hands."  
"She's dead?" I was stunned. No Arwen? This was sad and shocking despite my hatred of the woman.  
_Well at least it saves you the trouble of killing her._  
Seph's voice pointed out. I was still pretty shocked though.  
"Yes…" Their eyes were sad so I stood up and hugged them to offer a little comfort. I felt bad for hating Arwen now, she must have been quite a lovely person for her brothers to love and miss her so much. Pulling back I smiled sadly.  
"We came here with our sisters. We were very close but we had an argument over the stupidest thing and split up. I don't know if we'll ever see them again for, if we return home, they will not be coming with us." I closed my eyes and a tear trailed down my cheek.  
_My fault._  
One of the twins touched my shoulder and wiped the tear away with his thumb.  
"It will be Ok. It isn't your fault." I nodded my head as more tears escaped and he hugged me to his chest. I sat there sobbing for a while before pulling back.  
"Thank you Lord Elladan." He nodded and gave a small smile before pushing my soup towards me, encouraging me to eat.

I finished off my soup at the same time as Di and we both stood up.  
"Thank you my lords for your hospitality but I believe that it is time for us to retire to our rooms." I turned to leave but Elladan stopped me.  
"It was our pleasure. But please just call us Elladan and Elrohir, lords is too formal. In fact, since I suspect that we shall grow to be great friends call me Dan and you can call him Roh."  
I smiled slightly at the nicknames.  
"Then you may call me Fin and her Di." The twins grinned and laughed again.  
"Would you like us to give you a tour of Rivendell tomorrow?"  
"Why certainly. We are already looking forward to it." said Di who proceeded to take my hand and lead the way back to our rooms. We were followed by their laughter almost all the way down the corridor.

I looked out over the valley. The corridor was open on one side so I had a perfect view of the crystalline waterfalls. I hadn't realised that the sun had set until that point and I found myself feeling suddenly tired. I said my goodnights to Di before retreating to my room. I changed quickly into a thin satin nightgown and slid beneath the silk covers, closing the bed drapes. I placed my head in the soft goose down pillow and basked in the comfort and warmth of my bed. The mattress seemed to be some natural memory foam and I mentally declared it the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in. I realised that I would lose all of this if we returned home and I feared it. I drowned the worrying thoughts with thoughts of tomorrow, all the possible activities. I fell into a deep, warm, comforting and happy sleep.

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**Please review! I will continue sending previews to everyone that reviews! :)**


	10. Takeaway Scrambled Eggs

**A.N/ ****I'm so so so sorry! I haven't updated even when I promised. Grammar schools are a pain in the ****, so many tests... DX I am pretty sure I failed my maths, sigh... Anyway, onwards with the next chapter! IIIIIIT'S GANDALF!**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing recognisable... :(**

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Chapter 10 – Takeaway Scrambled Eggs

Seph's POV

I woke up the morning after our encounter with Aragorn at dawn, feeling rejuvenated. I hopped out of my relatively comfortable bed, (when compared to Thor's back) and decided to get changed. I pulled a spare pair of jeans from my 'bag of everything' (despite the fact it only contained a few necessary items and perhaps quite a few not so necessary items like my English to elvish dictionary) and threw on a new t-shirt which coincidentally had 'I live in Middle Earth' written on it with a picture of the ring underneath.  
"Wakey wakey!" I whispered into my friend's pointed ear. "Rise and shine!" She rolled over and tried to bat me away like I was a fly.  
"Ten more minutes mum." She mumbled, shoving her head into the pillow. I rolled my eyes at her early morning behaviour. I was going to have to teach her the way to get up in the morning without moaning for a full hour afterwards because if we were planning on joining the fellowship then she had to be ready to get up at the crack of dawn. After waiting ten minutes for Kels to emerge, I took matters into my own hands.  
"SAURON IS AT THE DOOR!" She leapt almost ten feet in the air and began to look frantically around the room.  
"Welcome back to the world! It's time to meet the mystery old man downstairs!" She groaned but managed to haul herself up and brush through her tangled bed head.

Half leading, half dragging her down the corridor I dropped her off at a free table and ordered us both some scrambled eggs. Sitting down next to her I glanced over at the corner of the room. I almost leapt from my seat in excitement when I saw that the occupant of the seat had a long grey beard, a grey cloak, a pointed blue hat and a long staff. It was Gandalf! He noticed my gaze on him and gave me a warm, friendly smile before striding over to join us. Kels sat motionless with her mouth wide open in surprise.  
"So you are the two elflings Aragorn told me about," he said chuckling to himself.  
"You're Gandalf!" Kels exclaimed!  
"Indeed. Aragorn informed me of your story and I most interested in the part about the book. Could you tell me a little more?" He sat down and gazed at me. It felt like he could see my soul. I had expected more of a 'hello what's your name?' but I guess Gandalf already knew about us and making small talk is just not the way istari roll. I wager that he treats everyone he meets like they are old companions. Or perhaps this is a one off situation.  
"Well. There are lots of different ones. The Silmarillion is based on the Valar and the beginning of Middle Earth, The Children of Hurin is about Morgoth, The History of Middle Earth is what it says in the name, The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins and Smaug," Gandalf raised a bushy eyebrow at this but stayed silent, "and then you have The Lord of The Rings which is three books. It is about a time that has not yet arrived here in Middle Earth so I shall not elaborate."  
"Do not tell anyone of what is to come. Do you understand?" We both nodded quickly at his forceful tone. "Fate has its own ways and when you meddle with fate it has consequences."  
He smiled, the atmosphere changed almost instantly.  
"Now, shall we head off?" Wow, never a dull moment with the grey wizard.

We made our way out to the back where I removed Thor from the stables and watched as Gandalf prepared a cart and hooked up my beloved horse. Suddenly Kels came running out with our forgotten scrambled egg in a paper bag.  
"Takeaway!" she shouted. The world's first ever takeaway scrambled eggs - brought to you by Kelly, available at all good food stores. When I said my TV advertisement out loud I got a smack on the back of the head and a handful of scrambled egg stuffed in my mouth.  
Soon we were on our way and I could feel the slight bounce as the cart went over a bump in the road.  
"What are hobbits like?" Piped up Kels who was munching on our scrambled eggs.  
"They are remarkable creatures. But surely you must know that already."  
"Are the Sack-Ville Bagginses as grouchy as in the books?" He began to laugh and we soon joined in. The journey was silent with the exception of Kels' random questions. I took the time to sit back and think through what had happened. I still regretted leaving Fin and Di. Deep down I knew that I would never forgive myself and my hot head for getting me into that argument, and for how I dealt with it.  
_My fault._  
I placed my head between my knees and I felt a tear slide down my cheek.  
"There is nothing to regret." said Gandalf suddenly. "All is the past and there is nothing we can do to alter it now. For an elf, life is too long to hold regrets, for a man - too short. So why hold regrets when you can just be free of them?" I considered his wise words. I wished it was that easy but regrets are hard to get rid of.  
"When I meet Legolas," Kelly said attempting to lighten the mood. "I'm going to make him say, they are taking the hobbits to Isengard and film it on my iPod!" I chuckled and looked up at Gandalf who had a quizzical look on his face.  
"Worry not Gandalf, worry not." I thought about meeting my favourite character Legolas. Would he live up to my expectations or would he end up as one of those really annoying characters who always get on your nerves.

The rest of the day passed with no problems or delays and Gandalf promised that we would be there by the next morning.  
"I wonder who we will stay with?" mused Kels. "Frodo? Sam? Pippin? Merry?"  
"I know not Kels. We will have to wait and see."  
"If you do not mind," said Gandalf "I would like to know a little more about your world."  
"Hmmm. There are buildings that touch the sky, carts that move by themselves, lots of different foods. Women have the same rights as men and some even fight in wars. We can communicate to someone on the other side of the world at the same time. However, our world is dying. The air is tainted and the people have become corrupted. We have flying metal birds and small metal boxes called guns that shoot fire and death. I prefer this place in every way."  
"Did you have a family?" I felt my throat constrict and I found myself unable to speak. Kels understood and took over.  
"My family came from a country called France. We moved to Cardiff because my parents wanted to get away from France and see a foreign land. I had a younger sister and a younger brother called Mardi and Philip whom I loved but were constantly annoying me. Di, one of our sisters, is Russian but her parents had lived in Cardiff since before she was born. She had one brother called Orion. Fin, our other sister, was half Irish and half English. Since Cardiff was between England and Ireland they moved there as a compromise. She was an only child like Seph. The reason Seph does not want to talk about her family is because, well... Seph's parents died in a car, sorry cart; crash five years ago when she was nine. It was a drunken man who was driving too fast and was not watching where he was going. Seph escaped death and ended up with a broken leg and some large scars to prove it. She moved to Cardiff from Greece to live with her Aunt." Gandalf's face softened and he turned back to look at the horses.  
"Sorry for touching such a sore subject young Seph. I did not mean to intrude."  
"All is forgiven."  
"But if you are all from different families, how are you sisters?"  
"We were not born sisters but fate brought us together. We are closer than many people are with their siblings." he nodded his head knowingly and turned back to the path. We were closer than most siblings but that had not stopped the fight.  
_My fault._  
I let out a choked sob and put my head on Kels' shoulder. She gently stroked my hair and waited for me to stop crying. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and gave her a weak smile. Putting her arms around me she pulled me in like she did after I had a nightmare.  
"It's Ok Seph. It's not your fault." I nodded gently and pulled away. I looked to the side and watched the forest move by.

Lying down on the floor of the cart, I stared up at the now dark sky. There was no man made light near to dim the stars so I could see every single one shining down onto me. I closed my eyes and smiled letting the pain slip away. It reminded me of one of the songs from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack so I took out my iPod and placed it next to me letting the music fill my ears. The song floated up and seemed to perfume the air.  
'_May it be, an evening star, _  
_Shines down upon you._  
_May it be when darkness falls,_  
_Your heart will be true._  
_You walk a lonely road,_  
_Oh how far you are from home._

_Mornie Utulie,_  
_Believe and you will find your way._  
_Mornie Alantie,_  
_A promise lives within you now.'_

The song continued and the world around me dimmed. With a peaceful heart and mind I drifted off into sleep.

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**A.N/ Please review! This may be the last time we update in ages, cos of NaNoWriMo and all, so it all depends on the reviews! :) Again, there'll be previews for those who reviews and a choice of one of the twins as a pet! ;)**


	11. The Owing of Ten Quid

**A.N/ Hi guys! I'm actually keeping my promises for once and updating on time! Maddie's working hard right now to write a bonus chapter for HALLOWEEN! :) That's what we hope for anyways... If all goes to plan, it will be posted tomorrow but that might not be the case for everyone because of time zones and stuff... I'm just rambling now! Anyone doing NaNoWriMo? My friend managed to convince me it'd be a good experience so I dragged everyone else in with me too! YAY! I'm so evil... ;)**

**Diclaimer... We own nothing you recognise here... Not even the two adorably cute (can you even put those two words together?) hobbits. :(**

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Chapter 11 – The Owing of Ten Quid

Kel's POV

"Wake up sleepy head!" I opened my eyes to find Seph bending over me with a cheesy grin plastered across her face. The smile meant one of three things.  
1. She had done something to me while I was sleeping  
2. She had pranked someone else  
3. She had good news  
"I have good news for you!" option number three. My favourite option.  
"And what good news would that be Seph?"  
"We have reached the Shire! It's still pretty early though so not many people are up yet. They are probably all having breakfast."  
I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes. We were indeed in the Shire. Hobbit holes lined the endless green hills and each hobbit hole had a lovely, brightly coloured front door. Gandalf turned and gave me a smile.  
"Up and ready for another day I see. Hobbits don't normally like big people but since you with me and you are still very young I think that they will easily accept you." I watched as very short people began to emerge from the hobbit holes. They stared at Gandalf and then at us in amazement. I smiled and waved in a friendly fashion and their amazement slowly melted and they returned my smile.

I turned to see Seph waving at some hobbit children who were running after the cart. I laughed and began to wave again which just fuelled the children on.  
"Fireworks! Fireworks!" I could hear them shouting.  
"Gandalf." He turned to look at me. "Are they like this every time?" He chuckled gently.  
"Why yes I believe they are. I always bring fireworks but at the moment I am too busy to set them off. Would you do the honours? Just open the crate and say the phrase 'aglar ninniach.' that should do the trick!"  
I looked back at the children and opened the crate.  
"Aglar ninniach!" Fireworks flew out of the crates; they were all different colours and patterns, twirling through the sky like a glorious rainbow circus.  
The children ran home to their parents after they were satisfied that we had given them enough fireworks. Gandalf's amazing fireworks were obviously quite a rare occurrence. There was no other valid reason for them to get so excited. Seph was quickly skimming through an English to elvish dictionary which she (no surprises here!) had in her bag. I suddenly realised why her bag was so big. I thought she was just having an overly large bag for no particular reason. Suddenly Seph began to laugh. I raised an eyebrow and she grinned.  
"Aglar ninniach means glorious rainbow!" I rolled my eyes but grinned none the less.

"We should be reaching Bag-end soon." said Gandalf. "And if you see anyone glaring it is probably the Sack-villes. I am after all a 'disturber of the peace'." We all laughed together and I was delighted to find that, now we had reached a new part of town, more children had come back. I smiled, enjoying their little chorus, and repeated the phrase to the crate. Fireworks burst out again and I was most amused to see that two of the people chasing us were full grown hobbits.  
"I bet you ten quid that's Pippin and Merry," whispered Seph and I laughed. The hobbits were very similar to their film counterparts. However Pippin's hair was more of a mahogany brown and his face was more childlike. Merry looked slightly older but still held that childlike quality under his mass of sandy curls.  
"Here we are!" proclaimed Gandalf, getting out of the cart and making his way up to the green door of this large hobbit hole.  
"Hello there!" We turned to find the two hobbits standing in front of us grinning.  
"I'm Pippin." said one. "And he's Merry."  
"You owe me ten quid." said Seph. I rolled my eyes and punched her in the arm.  
"We couldn't help but notice that you are elves." continued Pippin who was rather oblivious of everything around him.  
"Damn, I knew the ears would give us away." Seph said jokingly and the hobbits laughed.  
"Seph! Kels! Come on up!" Called Gandalf. We made our way towards the house and I waved at Pippin and Merry.  
"See you later!" They called in unison.

I followed Seph through the door and thanked my teenage self that I was still too short to need to duck. Gandalf stood in the corridor, stooping, and talking to a dark haired hobbit who was quite obviously Frodo.  
"Frodo! These are my two young elf friends Seph and Kels." I smiled when Gandalf mentioned me. "They came to live in the Shire but they have no lodgings. So, I was wondering-"  
"If they could stay in Bags-End." finished Frodo, smiling. "Of course they can stay here! Any friend of Gandalf's is a friend of mine!" Frodo beckoned for us to follow him so we trailed after him down the corridor that reached the length of the hole until we came to our rooms. I peeked in and saw a friendly, quaint little room. It had the typical cottage feel and I immediately loved it. I thanked Frodo and looked around. A double bed with yellow covers sat in the centre and there was a small oak vanity and wardrobe. The bathroom contained all the essentials. The room was warmed by a fire in the hearth and I took a look at the garden through my round window and saw who I guessed was Sam out doing gardening. I turned and walked over to the wardrobe. Inside were a range of me sized clothes ranging from hobbit dresses, to elleth dresses, to jeans and T-shirts and one set of hunting gear. It was elven style like Legolas' gear from the film. A small note was on the wardrobe floor.

_I just magicked these up for you!_  
_Hope you like your room!_

_Gandalf_

I smiled to myself. I was going to really like it here. I chose a plain brown hobbit dress from the wardrobe and put it on. Elvish clothes and Cardiff clothes were a bit unusual around here. I slipped out of my room and closed the door silently behind me. I skipped down the long central corridor until I reached the living room where Seph was already conversing with Frodo. By the sounds of it she was telling one of the Grimm's fairy tales.  
"And they all lived happily ever after!"  
"Except the wolf." added Frodo.  
"Yes. Except the wolf." She turned and smiled.  
"Come on Kels! We were just telling stories!" I smiled and sat down on a small but comfortable chair. I noticed that Seph was also wearing a hobbit dress but had added her own flair by tying a ribbon around her waist. Frodo looked at his watch and jumped up.  
"I almost forgot! Second breakfast!" he rushed out of the room and I chuckled.  
"We haven't even had first breakfast yet. Now remind me Seph of the hobbit food timetable."  
"Would be my pleasure!" Seph sat in thought for a second and quickly counted on her fingers. "Well it is seven meals minimum. Breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper." Wow I was going to have to do a lot of exercise to burn that off.

Frodo quickly came back in with some toast and crispy bacon which I thanked him for and we were soon digging into our food.  
"Gandalf filled me in on where you came from and all that." said Frodo. "Am I in the book?"  
"Why of course you are Frodo!" I exclaimed. "You play a major part in it as well!" Frodo smiled and began to ask me more questions about where we came from.  
"_Il t'aime._ He likes you," murmured Seph in French, giving me a sly, side-ways look.  
I laughed and we were all silenced by a knock on the door. Gandalf came back through and smiled down at the three of us.  
"I have completed my business here and I must be heading off-"  
"Places to go, people to see," chuckled Seph.  
"Indeed… I promise to visit again soon! Perhaps Frodo will show you around." Frodo nodded his agreement and we all went to the front door to wave the wizard off.  
"TAKE GOOD CARE OF THOR!" Seph yelled loudly and I giggled quietly. We stood there until he was just a silhouette on the horizon, albeit a silhouette surrounded by fireworks. I turned and looked at Seph and our eyes locked.  
"Best day ever!"  
I didn't realise it then but this was to be just the first in a long time's worth of best days ever. And I couldn't wait to see what the rest of the day would bring.

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**A.N/ Thanks reading and please drop us a review! It won't take more than two minutes to make our day! PLEASE! **


	12. Do I know you? (Halloween Bonus)

**A/N: Well here is the Halloween special. Remember there will probably be no updates during November due to the terrible writing task... Also, the Beta has not done this chapter so it is probably full of my crappy grammar and spelling mistakes**

**Disclaimer: We no own, you no sue. We do however own the OCs and I will personally feed you to my pet Balrog if you try and use them. You have been warned.  
**

**LISTEN UP! THIS IS SET THE HALLOWEEN BEFORE THE TRANSPORTATION!  
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Halloween Special:

Fin's POV  
I was woken up by Adam Lambert singing Master Plan and instantly wished that I had set a quieter song as my ringtone. Patting around on the bedside table next to me I grabbed hold of my phone and brought it up to my ear.  
"HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" I groaned as Kelly screamed down the phone. "I hope you are ready for a day filled with fun and excitement!"  
"Ya know Kels, have I ever told that you would make a good presenter for a kids TV show?" she laughed down the phone .  
"Yes, yes you have." I grinned and grabbed my glasses and watched as the room came into focus. Man I hated my glasses.  
"Well see you later."  
"Au revoir!" I sighed and dropped the phone onto the bed and got up. Walking over to my wardrobe I pulled out a baggy green T-Shirt and a pair of skinny jeans and pulled the on. Running the brush through my hair I glanced at the clock.  
"Oh damn." I threw on my shoes and packed my bag and I had just reached the bottom of the stairs when the doorbell rang. Opening it I was unsurprised to see Seph standing there, two bags slung over her shoulders, one of them for the sleepover and the other one was her 'middle earth emergency' bag which was actually a large denim shoulder bag with 'keep calm and walk to Mordor' written on it. She was wearing a v-neck blue vest top with a pair of beige cargo pants.

"You, mellonin, look like you have been dragged through a bush backwards," she grinned and winked. "You woke up late again didn't you." I rolled my eyes as she continued to laugh.  
"Have you got everything?" I turned to see my mum standing behind me, blonde hair pulled back and blue eyes looking tired.  
"Morning Auntie Lizzie!" yelled Seph from behind me and my mother smiled fondly.  
"Good morning dear. Keep Fin out of trouble for me will you." Seph mock saluted and stood to attention.  
"Yes ma'am, pleasure to be of service." My mother chuckled and pecked me on the forehead before shooing me out of the door.  
"Have fun!"  
"Will do!" I yelled back. Seph's aunt was sitting in the front seat of their ford. I slipped into the back and Seph plonked herself down next to me.  
"Hello Aunt Cora!" I said as we pulled out onto the main road.  
"Hello Fin. Are you looking forward to trick or treating?" I grinned. We may be getting a bit old for it but every year we dressed up and Kels and Seph worked their magic.  
"Yes I am, not that the troublesome two have told me what I am going as this year." Seph giggled beside me and I sighed, Di and I never had any say in our costumes so if we misbehaved we payed sorely.  
"Play nice."

We pulled up at a large house with a beautiful rose garden at the front. "Bye Cora!" we both yelled as she drove back towards Seph's house. We skipped up to the front door and knocked. The door immediately swung open to reveal Kels.  
"I have an overwhelming feeling that you were standing there, waiting for us to arrive." She nodded and dragged us in.  
"Di's gonna be late, she has a doctors appointment." Kels said. "Which leaves us enough time to play LOTR trivia!" We all rushed into the front room. Seph picked the Gandalf figurine and left Kels and I to argue over who got the Aragorn figure.  
"I want him!"  
"It's my set!"  
"I like him more than you!  
"GUYS SHUT UP!" Seph yelled, breathing hard. "Kels you had Aragorn last time. It's Fin's go." Kels pouted slightly but handed me the plastic figure nonetheless.  
By the time Di arrived we had played four rounds and Seph had won three of them, Kels winning the last one.  
"Let me guess, you're playing trivia." said Di as she walked into the room. "Who won?" Seph raised her hand and winked.  
"Turns out the Aragorn figure isn't as lucky as we originally thought." Di gave a gentle smile and sat beside me, watching intently as Kels packed away the set.  
"What now?" Kels asked. "Not even lunch time."  
"Lets go to the park."

We got permission from Kels' parents and we ran off to the park that was at the end of the road. This park was familiar to us, we visited on numerous occasions. We pretended to be elves in the woods, Seph using a wooden bow and arrow set, we played games, ran over the grass and sometimes, like today, we just lay on one of the grassy banks and looked at the sky.  
"This is going to be our fifth halloween together." I said as we watched the fluffy white clouds float above us. "It is strange that it's only five years, I feel like I've known you guys my whole life." we all laughed.  
"I second that." said Seph.  
"Third that."  
"I agree with your statement." said Di and we laughed again.  
"That one looks like Elrond!" Kels shouted, pointing to a cloud that did indeed resemble Elrond.  
"We're gonna be best friends forever aren't we." Kels said, turning her head to smile at me.  
"Yeah, all four of us. Best friends forever."

000

As we sat in Kels' dining room we discussed our route for the evening as we ate our lunch.  
"Hi!" We looked down to see Mardi, Kels' little sister standing near us.  
"Hello!" I said as I lifted her up and placed her on my lap.  
"How are you?"  
"Happy!" the little girl squealed. "Scawy monsters gonna come to the door today and ask for candy." "Yes they are!" Seph said, nodding seriously. "And you must give them candy or they will gobble you up instead!" Mardi squealed and covered her face with her hands.  
"Yes, yes oh so scary."  
"Philip!" Kels chided her brother as he walked through and grabbed an apple "Don't be rude!" he rolled his eyes and winked at Seph who stuck her tongue out at him.  
"Have fun with the 'scawy monsters'!" he added before leaving the room again.  
"Your brother is exceedingly immature! He acts half of his age!" exclaimed Di and I nodded my agreement before setting Mardi down on the floor.  
"Bye Bye Fishy!" squealed Mardi. Yes, she called me fishy, don't ask me why. The little girl then scampered from the room leaving us with our plans.  
"Well first we need to decorate the house and then we can get the costumes ready."

000

I ran around the house throwing black and orange tinsel over various objects while Di was given the job of hanging up the plastic spiders and fake spider webs.  
"They do this deliberately, I know it." she muttered as she walked past. I giggled and threw some tinsel over Philip as he walked past and tied a piece around Mardi's waist.  
Kels stood outside, setting up the pumpkins and Seph was decorating the front garden with fake skeletons and cobwebs. Kels came in laughing.  
"Seph put pools of fake blood on the front path, it looks like there's been a mass murder or something." I chuckled.  
"That's our Seph."

000

"I am not wearing this!"I stood in front of the full length mirror, staring at my reflection.  
"Calm down and come and sit here." said Seph as she placed me in the chair and began my transformation.  
"Eru Di keep still." I heard Kels muttering as she mucked around with Di.  
Stepping back, Seph flashed me a grin and turned me around so I was facing the mirror. Staring back at me was a ghost. The dress was snowy white and floated at the bottom, swirling like a mist. She had applied a paint to my skin that made it look slightly translucent and she had pulled my hair up in a tight bun. Blood was splattered at the bottom of the dress.  
"WOW!" I yelled.  
"Now you wonder why you complained. It's not like I was gonna dress you as Arwen again." Yes, again. She had previously dressed me as Arwen after a massive fight we had, I am proud to say that I learnt my lesson. These costumes were probably really expensive, Kels' family has a lot of money.  
Di stood up beside me and I laughed when I saw that she was wearing a full length black dress, cinched at the waist with a gold belt. She had gold eyeshadow and a pointed witch hat sat on her head. A golden spiderweb was painted around her left eye.  
"I look like an imbecile."

"No! You look awesome!" screamed Kels. "Come on Seph." The two of them race the 'special' changing room where we can hear them talking and fixing each other's costumes.  
"I look terrible!" Di complained as she analysed herself in the mirror.  
"At least you aren't a hippy again." That had been hilarious. They had dressed her up in a pair of baggy trousers, some boots, a tie dyed multi coloured shirt with the peace sign necklace. They had then taken it one step further by giving her huge glasses and a red sash to tie around her head.  
"I guess." she muttered.  
I turned and looked at the wall of Kels' bedroom. The whole wall was covered in pictures of us all. In the centre was a small space and on that space, Seph had carved the words '4ever Friends' and each of us had carved out names around it. I ran my fingers over the small ridges and smiled fondly.  
"What do you think?" we turned to see Kels' werewolf costume. She wore a long brown dress with deliberate rips across the abdomen to make it look like she had ripped it with her claws. She had an elaborate hairdo of braids and a pair of wolf ears poked out the top. Seph had used the movie effects kit to create a cute little wolf nose.  
"You look amazing!" I gushed as I looked her up and down. A slight cough made me turn. Seph stood in a midnight blue medieval dress with a loose silver belt and silver flowers running up the bodice. Her hair was pulled back into two plaits which were pinned to her head. Her lips were blood red and she had dark eye shadow on. She smiled revealing a very realistic pair of vampire teeth.  
"I will drink your blood!"  
"I'm dead!" I pointed out.  
"I would turn you into a toad." said Di, picking up the wand that was sitting on the counter.  
"I'm too cool to be killed!" Kels exclaimed and we all laughed. "Here you are." Kels handed me a white bag for my candy. Di's looked like cauldron, Kels' was made of fake fur and Seph's was a medieval style leather pouch.  
"Let's head!"

000

"That was so fun!" Kels yelled, skipping on ahead of us as we headed back to her house. They continued to talk and I surveyed the street. Other than their talking it was eerily quiet, no cars drove by and no other people were anywhere near. The lights in all of the houses appeared to be off. I hurried slightly to catch up with the others and when we turned onto Kels' road I froze. Across the street was a dark figure, cloaked in black. A deep hissing voice seemed to come from him and I found my head spinning. He, if it was a he, turned towards me and stepped forwards. A terrible cry came from it and I gripped my head as the world became darker.  
"Fin? Fin!" I could hear Seph's worried shouts as the darkness closed in.

The dark mist pulled away and I found myself in the centre of a battlefield. Creatures with dark green skin and distorted faces attacked men who wore armour emblazoned with a tree. Looking down at myself I saw that I was clothed in a similar set of garments but they were more elegant. They looked like... like elven hunting clothes.  
"Fin!" I turned to see a man... no an elf with hair like gold running towards me. His emerald green eyes were filled with worry. He looked... familiar.  
"Finna are you alright?" I looked up at him, the battle raged on around us but I payed it no heed.  
"Who are you?" a look of paid flashed across his face.  
"It is me, Glorfindel. Do you not recognise me?" am I supposed to?  
"No... you are a stranger to me." he clenched his jaw, eyes sad. He muttered something in another language and I watched as one of the green, orc like creatures ran towards him.  
"Look out!" he turned and decapitated it. Another one ran in from the side and more kept coming. We were sorely outnumbered. Suddenly one ran at me from behind. And I fell backwards onto the hard ground, whacking my head. Spots appeared in my vision and black appeared around the edges and it slowly began to close over. A blurred image of Glorfindel killing the orc appeared in my line of vision. He knelt down over me, shoulder length hair brushing my face.  
"Fin! Fin!" he yelled as the darkness covered my vision.

000

All sound faded out but the sound of my name. His voice seemed to raise in pitch until it was one that I recognised.  
"Fin wake up!" my eyes snapped open to reveal Seph bending over me, hair loose from her plaits and brushing over my face.  
"You fainted! What happened?" asked Kelly, peering over her shoulder. I rubbed my face and sat up, trying to recall what had just happened. But, as a tried to remember, the images became more distorted and faded until I was left with one image of a handsome man with golden hair.  
"To be honest... I don't know."


	13. iPod? A Magical Music Maker

**A.N/ It is done. It is over. The horrible, dreadful, hellish month that was November. We all feel like we've run a million miles and been forced through twenty sets of midterms. Basically, we all want to die. But on a brighter note, we all managed to churn out a 50,000 words novel (I use that word lightly as I'm not sure my story could be counted as a novel, it is really that bad). Luckily, we had this chapter spare in out bank of chapters so I'm able to post this even though the three of us are still trying to catch back up with the real world. :) Enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer - We own nothing you recognise, not even the iPod (which belongs to Apple)**

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Chapter Twelve – iPod? A Magical Music Maker

Seph's POV

We stood at the door for a while longer before hurrying back inside. Frodo gave us a short tour of the hobbit hole before leading us out into the garden where Sam was working.  
"Sam." said Frodo "These are friends of Gandalf and they are to be staying with us." Sam looked up and his mouth dropped open.  
"Elves." I chuckled lightly.  
"Indeed we are Sam," said Kels who was staring at him with a bemused expression, "though most of the adults have taken to calling us elflings."  
I stood silently as Sam bombarded Kels with questions and I smirked. All of the hobbits seem to really like Kels.  
"Seph and Kels!" I turned to see Pippin and Merry running towards us. "Hello again!"  
"_Ils sont hyper._ They are hyper."  
Kels laughed and I smiled at the hobbits.  
"Come on everyone." exclaimed Frodo. "Let's give our new friends a tour." So off we set. We saw flowers and plants, ale, pipe weed, more hobbit holes, more hobbits, the famed green dragon and I loved every bit of it. The hills rolled endlessly covered in green grass and each had a colourfully painted small door in the side of it. I had never seen anywhere so peaceful. Middle Earth was perfect. I briefly wondered why Di and Fin didn't agree. Why did they no longer trust me? Pushing all upsetting thoughts to the back of my mind I moved to walk next to Pippin who's happy chattering soothed me and I was soon smiling again. Briefly gazing to the side I saw Kels staring at me, a concerned look on her face. Kels could read me like a book and was the only person other than my parents who had that gift. Everyone else saw what I wanted them to. She had obviously noticed the slight change in my attitude. She gently took my arm and pulled me to the side slightly. All of the hobbits except Frodo continued with their merry conversation. Frodo was staring at me with equal concern.

"_Pourquoi avez-vous dit Frodo?_ Why did you tell Frodo?" She shrugged and shook her head slightly.  
"_Il a demande. _He asked." She looked up and put a hand on my shoulder. "_Il n'est pas de ta faute. Le passe c'est le passe. Vivez maintenant_. It is not your fault. The past is the past. Live now." I nodded and went back to the hobbits.  
"I'm fine Frodo." The small hobbit did not seem convinced but let me pass anyway as I did not seem in the mood for arguments.  
"How long will you be staying here?" piped up a rather oblivious Pippin who was the only one that had not noticed what had happened.  
"I don't know Pip. Probably a long time."  
"Good." I turned in surprise.  
"And why would that be?" asked Kels, one eyebrow raised.  
"I like you two. You are strange but I still like you." I chuckled and looked at my watch. It was almost eleven.  
"Oh Valar! It is almost time for elevenses!" The hobbits jumped to attention and rushed back to the hole where we were once again treated to a light meal and I began to wonder about the future would hold. According to Di it was five years (give or take a few months) before the war began. That was five years to grow up and live with the hobbits. I was going to enjoy myself and I was going to train for the war. But right now, the trickster was bored. What to do... I looked at all my unsuspecting victims. My mind whirled with possible ideas until I had one. No pranks. Just a simple magic trick. I took out two coins and one of the ale mugs. I had everyone's full attention. Kels had seen this trick more than once but she wanted to see the looks on the hobbits faces. I sat behind a chair to prepare. I took a piece of blue tack and stuck one of the coins to the inside of the mug before exiting my hiding place. Sitting on a stool I showed them that the table was clear and I took out the second coin.  
"I am going to make the coin go through the bottom of the mug." I placed it upside down on the table and put the coin on top. I quickly licked my palm to get more grip and then slapped the top of the mug. There was a clanging and I lifted my hand. The coin was no longer there. It was in my hand so I slipped it into my bag.  
"Where is it?" asked Merry.  
"I told you it would go through the mug did I not?" He lifted it up and they stared at the coin on the table. The force of me slapping the mug had caused the coin inside to drop off.

I laughed at their faces.  
"You got Loki'd!" shouted Kels in honour of the silver-tongued god Loki of Mischief, Lies and Chaos. I explained the trick. They were soon all trying it out themselves.  
"Hobbits." they all looked up. "Frodo told you where we came from did he not?" they all nodded. "Would you like to hear our music? It is a lot of fun." More nodding. I pulled out my iPod and they all looked confused.  
"It is an iPod. A magical music maker." The look of excitement on their faces when I used the word magic was priceless. I took a quick picture and chuckled to myself.  
"Aphrodisiac?" asked Kels who had developed an obsession with the song after Eurovision.  
"Sure." I began to play it and the hobbits looked stunned. Kels and I began dancing. Soon we had Pippin and Merry spinning around and dancing along. Sam was still stunned at our outlandish movements and Frodo was laughing at his expression.  
"I bet you wish Rosie would dance like that Sam."  
"Mister Frodo!" Sam exclaimed but his tomato red face gave him away. I plonked down in front of them.  
"Change the song!" Kels switched to 'We are young' by Fun.  
"Ok Sam. Time for you to learn how to talk to girls." Pippin and Merry began to laugh so I shot them a threatening look.  
"You're next." they shut up.  
"So you like miss Rosie?" a timid nod was my reply.  
"You must be confident Samwise. Find something that both of you enjoy, find out what she likes. And most importantly, be yourself. If a person asks you to change because they don't like the real you, they are not worthy of your love." I ruffled his hair and flashed him a grin. "Remember that Sam." And with that I leapt up and joined the crazy dancing circle we had formed in the middle of the room.

The rest of the day passed by relatively fast. It was mostly a blur. Dancing to pop songs then a stop for lunch (a long stop mind you, hobbits are very serious about food). Dancing to Taylor Swift until tea and then fairy tales until dinner.  
"We were planning on going to the Green dragon for supper. It would be a great time to introduce you." I felt fear begin to thread itself through my veins, I had to introduce myself to the people I would be staying with. Kels took my hand encouragingly.  
"Just let me lead. Hobbits like me." She winked and I mentally thanked her. I could deal with annoying humans but small hobbits were for the social, not the tricksters. We arrived at the Green dragon and sat down. It was very loud and there were lots of people eating and drinking.  
"Hello everyone!" shouted Frodo climbing up onto the table. "I am sure you noticed the two young elves with Gandalf this very morning." There were murmurs and nods of agreement.  
"Well I am pleased to say that they are going to be staying with me. They are sisters and their parents died in a tragic accident so they came to live here. I hope you will all welcome them." The shouts of agreement were louder this time. Obviously Frodo's moving back story got the desired effect. It was not far from the truth. For me anyway. Frodo beckoned us up onto the table and I slowly climbed up. The hobbits appreciated our clothing and I was glad that I did not decide to wear the mini-skirt I found in the wardrobe.  
"Hello." said Kels. "I am Kelly and this is Persephone but you may call us Kels and Seph. Thank you for having us here and I am glad that you have let us stay." Everyone smiled up at her. Yep. Hobbits love Kels. I stepped forward and all eyes turned to me.  
"I would like to have three cheers for our new friend Frodo who has kindly let us stay in his hole." The room erupted into cheers. Frodo smiled at me and I returned it. I leant forward so I was near his ear.  
"Should I mention Sam? Get Rosie's attention?" Frodo grinned and nodded.  
"I would also like to thank Pippin and Merry who have been very kind to us since our arrival." more cheers and the two, now rather drunk, hobbits got up on the table and did a victory dance before jumping off again.  
"And special thanks to Sam who has been equally as kind and has been our guide since our arrival." Sam turned the same tomato red he had been earlier and I saw him glancing at Rosie while Pippin and Merry pushed him up onto the table.

The rest of the night was full of cheers and being introduced to most of the hobbits in town. Frodo kept avoiding the two glaring hobbits (guess who they are) as he thought they would disapprove (no surprises there). We returned to the hole late at night and I retreated into my room (If you were wondering it looked the same as Kelly's just blue in colour). I slid into a very earth style night dress. It was midnight blue. However I still did not understand why Gandalf had the urge to put a cartoon of Legolas on the front. I checked the wardrobe a few times and was annoyed to find that this was (very strangely) my only night dress. I would kill the wizard when I next saw him. Sighing I slid into my bed and took in the smell of wildflowers that had been used to scent the pillows. I stared at the blank ceiling and briefly wondered if I should put up some glow in the dark stars to make it more exciting. I fell into a disturbed sleep.

I was in the car again on the way to the beach. My parents were sitting in the front and my dad was driving. I stared out of the window at the beautiful Greek countryside and watched the green hills and wildflowers rush by. The sun was shining and the world was bright and beautiful.  
"Are we there yet?" I asked. My mum turned around and smiled at me. The sun edged her hair in a glowing halo. She resembled me quite a bit but she was much more beautiful with dark brown hair. I had inherited my father's hair. I heard my father laugh and his short cropped, caramel hair ruffled in the wind blowing through the open window.  
"You asked that five minutes ago kitty! Ten minutes left." Kitty. My old nickname. My father had decided that Per (the first part of my name) was the sound a kitten made. Hence my nickname. I had not been called that in years. We began to pass through one of the dark forests and I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I recognised this place. I was having the dream again. I thought it had gone. Suddenly another car sped round the corner at record speed and my father didn't have time to react before the car smashed into ours and the fire enveloped everything. The force threw the car up into the air and it rolled over twice. A burning pain consumed my body and I struggled to breathe through the thick black smoke. My eyes watered and I choked slightly as I attempted to undo my seatbelt. I looked up and screamed as loud as my smoke filled lungs would allow, my parents turned to look at me, my insides twisted in an attempt to throw up. Their eyes were full of fire and their faces were black charcoal which was slowly crumbling away to reveal their blackened skeletons. I closed my eyes to rid the image. When I opened them again I tried to scream again but it was stuck in my throat and all that came out was a broken choking sound. Fin, Di and Kels were lying on the grass outside the car with blood pooling around them. Their faces were the same as my parents, staring blankly back at me. I watched terrified as the fire continued to consume the car. The red hot tendrils reached out to grab me and burned wherever they touched. I let out one last scream before the fire reeled me in.

I woke up drenched in sweat and my body was shaking. I quietly slipped out of my bed and snuck in to Kels' room. She opened her eyes and immediately made room for me in the bed when she saw the fear on my face. I have had the same nightmare almost every night since the crash. My friends and I were constantly having sleepovers as their presence calmed my nerves and prevented me seeing it. Being in middle earth had stopped the nightmares as well. However the calming effect had obviously worn off, back to the same old painful sleep. I closed my eyes and drifted off. I knew Kels would keep me safe. She always did. She kept me safe from myself.

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**A.N/ Thanks for reading! Please review :)**


	14. On the Balls of Your Feet

**A.N/ As promised, a little earlier this time with the update :) I love the twins *sigh***

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything you recognise.**

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Chapter Thirteen – On the Balls of Your Feet, as Light as a Feather

Fin's POV

We had been in Rivendell for a couple of days and we had spent a large portion of our time studying and watching our new friends in the training ring. I marvelled as Glorfindel executed a perfect double flip and knocked Dan to the ground once again.  
"You are going to have to try a lot harder my Lord if you want to beat me." he declared in a very smug fashion. "I am sure that Ladies Di and Fin could beat you if they put their minds to it. You need to give it your all Lord Elladan or you will surely be felled by the next creature to come your way. You are too confident in your own abilities." Elrohir laughed from his perch on the steps next to me and Di gave an amused chuckle without looking up from her book on battle tactics and ancient warfare.  
"Lady Finna." I looked over at Glorfindel and grinned.  
"What is it my Lord?" Glorfindel huffed slightly at the formalities. Despite the fact he used them, he constantly asked me just to call him Glorfindel. But where was the fun in that?  
"Could you come here and prove my point." I bounced lightly down the steps and into the training ring, taking the two knives from his hands. They were lighter than they looked and I had no problems holding them.  
"Do you really expect her to beat me Glorfindel?"  
_Remember the gymnastics lessons, remember the karate lessons, remember the gymnastics lessons, and remember the karate lessons..._  
I repeated my mantra and thanked Seph for forcing us all to enrol in those classes.  
"Do me proud." whispered Glorfindel in my ear before talking a few steps back.

I stood in the middle of the ring and stared up at Dan. He was much taller than me; I only came up to his chest - a thirteen (soon to be fourteen) year old amateur with only karate and gymnastics behind her against an experienced warrior elf who had hundreds of years training. The odds were against me and Elladan knew it.  
"I'll take it easy on you." He said grinning.  
_That is his weakness..._  
Said Seph's voice in my head and I remembered one of the karate lessons.  
_Find their weakness, he underestimates me, he thinks I have no experience at all._  
I smiled as Dan ran at me. I dropped to the floor kicked my legs up hitting him where it hurts. He gasped in pain and I rolled away. I had left my knives on the ground. I was doing this without weapons. Elladan turned and ran at me again but more warily this time.  
_"On the balls of your feet, light as a feather," _coaxed Seph. I pushed off into the air and landed on Dan's back.  
_Lucky jump… I expected you to muck it up._  
Seph commented and I mentally rolled my eyes. He fell forward with a yelp of surprise and ended up flat on his face with a mouth full of dirt. I yanked one of the knives out of his hands and held it to his neck.  
"I win." Glorfindel cheered and Roh burst out laughing. Dan was never going to live this down. He sat up and I hopped off him.  
"I underestimated you." He chuckled and hugged me. "I shan't do that again." He turned to go but stopped. Turning his head he gave me a smile. "And for the record, I let you win." I laughed knowing that he really had just underestimated me but if it helped his broken ego and his hurt pride which was now cowering in the corner like a scared kitten I would play along. Another person's laughter drifted down and I looked up to see Elrond walking along the corridor. I gave a sweeping bow and he smiled at me before disappearing around the corner.

I trotted back up the steps to Di who had moved on to a book of the elvish language. She looked up and the corners of her lips turned upwards.  
"Looks like you were having fun."  
"Indeed." I plonked down next to her and peered over her shoulder. My reading was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. I turned to see a grinning Glorfindel standing over me. A stray strand of hair fell into his eyes and he brushed it back with a sweep of his hand.  
"Congratulations on beating Elladan. He highly underestimated you. He is far too confident." I smiled in return and chuckled lightly.  
"How did you know I would win?"  
"Well I wasn't certain but I thought that, since you were able to execute a perfect double somersault while jumping out of that tree I found you in, you would be able to evade him. And knowing you, though I have only known you a few short days, you would have something up your sleeve." He winked and I knew that he was referring to the time when I had accidentally kicked him where it hurts after mistaking him for a stranger in the dark. I blushed slightly and punched his leg.  
"I may," he added, "have also drugged his food earlier." I began to snort with laughter and Di gave half smile.

"Come on troops!" I turned to see Elladan and Elrohir gesturing for us to follow them. We all got up and followed them to the dinner hall where we had first met. I sat down next to Glorfindel as the cook brought us all some food. We chatted merrily and I began poking the blonde elf next to me to amuse myself. He turned to talk to the twins.  
*poke*  
He looked back around but I was eating. He turned back again.  
*poke*  
This continued on for the next few minutes until Glorfindel started poking me back. The thing turned into a full on poke war and no one escaped, not even Di who would rather have just sat there and read her book.  
"What shall we do now?" asked Roh with a smile.  
"How about you all refrain from speaking." muttered Di who was wishing that we would shut up.  
"We could go down to the archery range." Suggested Glorfindel and the twins both broke out into Cheshire cat grins.  
"They have already watched us training today. Let us do something more relaxed."  
"Like what?" I asked, really not sure whether I wanted to partake in this 'fun' activity.

Twenty minutes later we were at one of the many lakes that surrounded Rivendell. The water was crystal clear and the sun shone of the surface causing it to glitter. It was surrounded by trees and there was a small cliff face on one side. The men were wearing leather pants ( their equivalent of trunks) and were already splashing around in the water.  
"Come on Lady Finna! Join us!" shouted Glorfindel before he was dunked under the water by a vengeful Elladan. Elrohir swam lazily to the edge and looked up at me.  
"Come on Fin. The water is warm." I looked down at my leather pants and top before sliding into the water. True to his word the water was fairly warm and I did a couple of laps before floating over to Di who was perched on a rock.  
"What are you looking at?" Di had her iPod out and was flicking through it.  
"They sent us an email. Apparently we are 'Beni' elves." I jumped out of the water and grabbed the iPod, flicking water everywhere in the process. I speed read the email and looked up at Di.  
"I never thought of that."  
"What?" asked Di puzzled.  
"I never realised that talking to them again would indeed stop me from leaving. I just wouldn't be able to do it." I looked over at the three grown elves splashing each other in the lake and my heart hurt. Dan and Roh had tried to make feel as welcome as possible and had already become older brothers to the two of us. Glorfindel in a way was our guardian; he saved us and protected us. After all they had done for us I could hardly bring myself to leave them behind.  
"You know what Di? I begin to doubt I will be able to leave anyway." she nodded and took the iPod back. Turning back to the pool I watched as Glorfindel jumped from the cliff into the water, golden hair streaming out behind him. He landed with a slight splash and I smiled as I watched the twins race each other up. Elladan hoisted Elrohir over his head and chucked him in. Elrohir proceeded to run back up and push is flailing twin over the edge and also push Glorfindel who had made his way back to the top before jumping in himself, hair streaming behind him.

"Fin, are you going to have a go?" shouted Dan. I was suddenly reminded of our group trips to the swimming pool were Kels would teach us to dive. Seph picked up most quickly and was soon performing some rather fancy dives and very quickly became better than Kels. Di mastered the normal dive but then refused to learn more as it may 'damage her health'. However I had never really caught on.  
"No thanks guys!" I yelled back.  
Glorfindel swam to the edge and flashed me a crooked smile.  
"I don't think the lady has a choice in the matter." His eyes twinkled and I began to back away.  
"Don't you dare!" I turned to run but Glorfindel immediately caught me and climbed up to the top still carrying me while I beat furiously at his chest, trying to get him off me. I could see the cheering faces of the twins far below me and I squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly, Glorfindel was no longer holding me and I could feel the wind rushing past me. I landed with a loud splash. I opened my eyes and I could see the surface above me. Pushing off from the bottom I broke the surface and gasped feebly for air. Elrohir swam over, hair plastered over his face, silver eyes sparkling gently.  
"Are you alright?" I stared at him, one eyebrow raised.  
"AM I ALRIGHT?" I jumped on top of him and pushed him under the water "FOR THE LOVE OF GANDALF I JUST GOT THROWN OFF A CLIFF! AM I ALRIGHT YOU SAY!" Di stood by the side of the pool laughing.  
"Aww... Did Finna get water on her precious red highlight?"  
"THAT'S IT." I clambered from the pool, hair plastered across my face and my eyes blazing. Running forward I grabbed Di and hauled her to the top as she complained that I had got her dress wet.  
"It's going to get a lot wetter where you are going." I shoved her over the side and jumped in after her. When I emerged she splashed me in the face. She swam over to Dan and clung to his back for dear life. I turned slightly and Glorfindel grinned at me and gave me a wink, making me blush.

Suddenly there was a crunching in the bushes and Glorfindel pushed me behind him and Dan turned so Di was behind him. The sound got louder until a dark haired elf from Rivendell burst through the treeline. The twins and Glorfindel quickly relaxed and I moved out from behind Glorfindel.  
"Toryn." said Glorfindel addressing the new elf. "What is it?"  
"Excuse me, I am sorry to interrupt your fun my Lords and Ladies, but could you all please return to the house immediately." We looked at each other in surprise but began to climb out and collect our things nonetheless. He stopped me with a hand and addressed me in a stern and serious expression. "And the Beni elves." My mouth dropped open. How in Middle Earth did Elrond know that? We had only just learned of the name ourselves. "Elrond would like to speak with you in his study when you return. Privately." That did not sound good.

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**A.N/ Thanks for reading :) Please review.**

**Ninja Elf Girl: Thank you for the review! The time skip was just as a bonus chapter and not really part of the arc of the story. It was just there because we wanted to show a little of the girls' backgrounds. There are about two chapters before we join the Tolkien timeline. Interesting idea btw, hmmmm... *goes off to her secret place to think***


	15. 1 and a Quarter Terawatts

**A.N/ Merry Christmas everyone! As a present we decided to upload two chapters today!**

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Chapter Fourteen – 1.21 Terawatts

Di's POV

We arrived in Elrond's study fifteen minutes later, still sodden from our adventure in the lake. Our clothes reflected our mood – damp and slightly uncomfortable. I had tried to make myself presentable during our short journey from the forest to Rivendell, but the setting sun did no wonders for the drying of my hair. Finna was worried about our impending meeting, and she was uncharacteristically quiet.

Looking up at Elrond seated in his magnificent chair, I could tell by the way he was wringing his hands that he was agitated. The multiple lines of boot marks on the soft carpeted floor showed that he had been pacing the spacious room, and I guessed that he was about to impart some grave news.

"I have summoned you here in order to impart some grave news," he began in his deep voice. "I have found a way in which you can return home to your world."

Beside me, I could sense Finna's confusion. Lord Elrond could too, and so he proceeded quickly to explain: "Crossing the dimensions requires a vast amount of power, 1.21 terawatts to be precise, which was available only by coincidence when you made the journey from Earth to Middle Earth, due to the crossing of ley lines over an interdimensional rift. However it is physically impossible to generate that power using the technologies available on Middle Earth, without taking drastic measures." His face fell. "Therefore, the only way it is possible to cross the dimensions into the universe in which you are accustomed to live is to eradicate the universe we are currently in. The power emitted from destroying Middle Earth should hypothetically be sufficient to send you home. For obvious reasons, that is not an option worth considering."

I was stunned. We were never going to go back home. However little knowledge I had about Middle Earth (after all my reading, I had only learnt all the languages and their respective histories, but very little of what everyday life was like here), I knew that obliterating the whole world and killing all the beautiful flora and fauna I had seen here just for our own gain was incredibly selfish. Finna, whose understanding of Elrond's speech had undoubtedly only just stretched to the observation that we were to stay in Middle Earth forever, rushed out of the room sobbing, and I was tempted to follow suit. Instead, keeping my face void of emotion, I took the opportunity to ask Elrond about our formal education.

" My Lord, seeing as we will be residing in Middle Earth indefinitely, and seeing as we are young and have much to learn about this world..." I hesitated. I was surprised at how much my voice betrayed feelings I did not know I was harbouring.

"You wish to continue your schooling, I understand,"

"Y-Yes"

"Well then, I will see that it is done! Do not despair - you two may turn out to be promising young elves here in Middle Earth. Goodbye for now."

Entering the hall, I joined Finna, who was standing with Glorfindel, Elrohir and Elladan. The older elves looked at me questioningly as I neared their little huddle; Finna had obviously not explained the situation to them. She was still very upset and was wiping her tears with a handkerchief Glorfindel had given her (judging by the monogram). Without waiting for them to ask, I narrated what Elrond had told us in his office. They seemed as surprised as we had been, but I could also detect some relief on their elven features.

"So you're both stuck here with us forever? That doesn't sound too bad, does it Dan?" Elrohir was trying to cheer us up, and Finna was visibly happier.

"I'd hate to have to spend the rest of my life with only you three as company," said Finna with a smile. They all began to laugh together and joke around as if nothing had happened. I needed time to think though, so I slipped away into my room.

I realised that I would have to mentally prepare myself for a life in Middle Earth. I pushed away my memories and longings from my old life into the mental Vanishing Cabinet I had always imagined to be in the recesses of my mind. Its pair was far away, hidden from plain sight, so that I would not be tempted to go searching for it. I found this method useful in focusing my mind and controlling my emotions, like a form of meditation but without all the eye-closing and humming.

After half an hour, I heard Finna's footsteps padding into the room next door, and then a squeal of glee. I wandered into her chamber, and saw her clutching a piece of parchment and reading it intently. She had evidently just received a letter, as I noticed an envelope flung onto the bed. Glancing up, she acknowledged my arrival with a shriek and a hug. I was baffled as to why she was acting in this way when she said,

"Look, Di! They've sent us a timetable for our school. I thought it would be really dull, but look: we've got subjects like archery and fencing! And guess who's teaching us: it's Roh and Dan. Oh my God this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to start. When are we starting? Let's see – it's tomorrow! And combat training is our first lesson! Yay! I'm excited Di, are you excited? Di?"

Finna had been talking at top speed in a high pitched voice, without pausing for breath during her monologue. I had tuned out, and had begun to read the letter which she was showing me. Looking down the list of subjects, my eyes caught on the academic ones, and I secretly grinned at the sheer number of interesting topics we were to learn about. Then I glanced at the teachers, and saw, to my delight, that, along with Elladan and Elrohir, someone called Erestor, and occasionally Glorfindel, I was to be personally taught by Lord Elrond. Granted, it was only for one lesson per fortnight, but I was still eager to gain some of the wisdom of the great elf.

"Di, are you okay? You look a bit vacant." Finna was watching me worriedly.

"Yes, yes I'm fine," I answered automatically. "Actually, I was wondering about something. Are you sure we should not reply to Seph's message and tell them that we are to stay in Middle Earth?"

"Of course we can't reply! They are the ones who ditched us, so why should we help them? Anyway, they might as well assume that we have gone back to Earth, 'cause it's not like we're ever going to see them again is it? If we tell them, they'll just come over here and start living with us and ruin everything all over again."

I could tell that she was still bitter about Seph and Kelly leaving us, so I decided not to push the topic any further. Instead I suggested that we retire for the night, as we had had an exhausting and eventful day. Finna, having calmed down considerably, accepted this offer readily, and we parted into our respective bedrooms.  
I knew that Fin at least partially blamed herself for the petty dispute we had had in the forest, I was certain that Persephone felt the same. Fin may be bitter about the incident but she still loved them.  
_We will reunite again someday._  
I vowed as I blew out the candle on my bedside table and closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.

Kels' POV

I stared out of the rounded window at the dark night sky, Seph's gentle singing a perfume in the air.  
"Kels." I turned to look at Frodo. He stared up at me and we shared a small smile.  
"Is Seph well?" he asked, concern written on his face. "She is hardly eating and she spends most of her time singing..."  
"She blames herself Frodo." A look of confusion passed over the small hobbits features.  
"What for?" I turned my head to look at Seph. She was staring out of the open, round window and a small breeze caused tendrils of her hair to whip around her face. A deep, aching sadness shone in her eyes. She would calm down eventually, I knew from experience, but for now I would let her have her peace.  
"Everything."

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**A.N/ Would you consider writing a review as our Christmas present? :)**


	16. The 'Tinsel' Fairies (Christmas Bonus)

**A.N/ This is a special chapter we wrote as a Christmas special thing so it is not part of the main arc of the story (it acts a little like an interlude) and is just a little bit of fun :D It caused a bit of confusion when we did it for Halloween so I hope I cleared things up a little this time!**

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Christmas Bonus – The 'Tinsel' Fairies

Seph's POV

"Seph wake up!" I immediately jerked up into a sitting position which caused the person who had been leaning over me to fall backwards off the bed. I lit my bedside candle and crawled to the edge, peering over. On the floor sat a large pile of tinsel. I reached a foot out and poked it with a toe. The tinsel began to shake itself off and stood up.  
"Good morning Pippin. What sane reason do you have to wake me up at..." I glanced quickly at my clock. "Quarter past five?" Pippin grinned and began to bounce up and down like a monkey on drugs.  
"IT'S YULE" he squealed, delighted, and began to run around the room, throwing tinsel over any object within firing range. Pippin himself was also the subject of a Yule (aka Christmas) makeover. He was covered in tinsel from head to toe, no pun intended. It was in his hair, around his neck and attached to any garment he had on, namely his sleep clothes, dressing gown and slippers.

Kels peeked her head around the door and rolled her eyes.  
"I see that I am not the only one who was woken up at this ungodly hour by the tinsel fairies," she chuckled. "The whole house has been redecorated by these two munchkins." Merry suddenly burst in through the door in a shower of light and colour.  
"Let's wake Frodo up!" he shouted excitedly. Pippin and Merry rushed from the room leaving a trail of sparkles behind them.  
"I'm going to sort out the living room. It's the only room salvageable." she winked and disappeared from view.

I took this as my chance to change and quickly slipped my 'lovely' Legolas night dress up over my head and changed into a much more suitable red day dress. Staring out of my small, round window I noticed that it had snowed overnight. The whole garden was white and shined faintly in the light from my candle. It certainly was a winter wonderland. We never had winters like this in Athens. I pulled my now waist length curly hair up into a ponytail and tied it will a leather band. Upon arriving at the living room I was surprised to see that everyone was already up. Frodo was sitting in his favourite armchair in the corner while Kels and the tinsel kings sat in front of the fire playing go fish. I looked around the room and was pleased to say that there was minimal tinsel. Six stockings hung above the fireplace and a small, hobbit sized Christmas tree sat next to the door. It was decorated with some tinsel and other Christmas ornaments, a tiny golden star perched on top. Underneath was a pile of colourfully wrapped presents of varied shape and size.  
"Go fish!" yelled Kels and the tinsel clad hobbits groaned, they had lost again.  
"The Christmas tree does look wonderful with all the tinsel and decorations," I acknowledged.

"Christmas? What's that? And what's 'tinsel'? Is it a type of food?" questioned Pippin, peering inquisitively at me.

"Oh, Christmas is just what we call Yule and tinsel is the sparkling decorations we like to put around our houses at this time of year. I didn't know what yours is so I just called it 'tinsel' because they look similar," I explained to the confused hobbits.

"Of course! That shiny stuff was a gift from Gandalf, he said they were made in 'Dale', a human town where lots of interesting things are created. I think Bilbo's gone there before. I'm not sure what it is though, just thinks it looks really nice," exclaimed Merry.  
I sat myself down on the seat next to Frodo's and affectionately ruffled his hair.

"I get it now. But do they really do this every year?" Frodo looked up and grinned.  
"Why of course! What did you expect from the 'tinsel' kings of party?" we both laughed happily and I rolled my eyes as Kels beat them yet another time.  
"Our first Christmas at the Shire." I sat back and glanced at Frodo. "A Christmas to remember."  
"Seph!" I turned to look at Kels who was lying on her stomach with a deck of cards in her hands.  
"Do you want to play cheat with us?" I grinned. I was going to make the most of this day. We had played numerous different card games and sung several Christmas songs when there was a knock on the door. Frodo opened it and in came Sam clad in a big warm coat. He was freezing cold and snow dripped off his nose. I rushed forward and hurried his shivering form over to the fire, taking his coat and hanging it on one of the hooks. I made my way to the kitchen and prepared some hot chocolate to warm us all up. The drink was accepted happily and we were soon all sitting in front of the crackling fire, mugs in hand and thoroughly warm.

"Present time!" announced Frodo and Pippin and Merry began bouncing up and down and squealing like fangirls. We all exchanged gifts and I was really pleased with what I got. From Pippin I got a cookbook 'All you need to know about food!', from Merry, a hobbits guide to wild mushrooms, from Sam, a leather cord necklace with a carved wooden pendant of a Smaug dragon (made by old gaffer) and most importantly, Frodo gave me a new night dress, plain green with blue edging. I hugged them all and grabbed the stockings down from over the fireplace. One for each of us. Almost the only thing in each stocking was sweets, special hobbit chocolate truffles (utter heaven), sweets and more sweets. Mine did, however, contain some ribbons for my hair.  
"How about we go out and about and enjoy the snow." suggested Frodo. "We could go down to the old lake in the forest." We all readily agreed and stood up to go outside. I grabbed a coat, a woollen scarf and some leather boots from my wardrobe before joining everyone on the porch.  
"I think I'll stay here if you don't mind." said Sam. " there are some last minute preparations to be made." We all agreed and began to trudge out through the snow, away from the warmth and comfort of the hobbit hole. The snow was knee deep and the going was tough, almost impossible for the hobbits, but with several piggy back rides from Kels and I we all made it to the lake. The once glittering body of water which I had bathed in only a couple of months ago was now covered in a thick sheet of ice.

Kels opened the bag she had brought with us and pulled out some ice skates. I slid my feet inside and tied the laces. I then proceeded to help Merry who was having a hard time standing up. I stepped tenderly onto the ice to check that it was safe before pushing off and gliding gently across. The ice was smooth so I skated quickly, whooping as I nearly fell over from the sheer force of my momentum. Kels and the hobbits joined me and we skated, skidded, slipped, fell over and had the time of our lives trying to see who the fastest skater was. I did a simple spin and chuckled lightly as Merry fell flat on his face again. Kels skated past humming swan lake, I moved to skate next to her and we began to perform the ballet on ice. Swan lake had been our year 7 production. I was about to do another twirl when something whacked the side of my head. I turned to see Pippin and Merry holding snowballs. I gave them a hard stare and they immediately began to skate away as fast as their little legs would carry them. I made my way to the edge where Frodo had a pile of snowballs prepared. Nodding my thanks I picked a couple up and hurled them at the hobbits. Pippin landed on the ice with a splat and skidded a few meters, Merry, who had been watching my progress, ducked out of the way and grabbed Pippin. They ran from the ice closely followed by Kels, Frodo and I. We followed them through the forest, chucking any snowballs Frodo gave us. We continued to chase them until we caught up with them in the town square. I picked up Pippin and put him on my shoulder, Kels did the same with Merry. We carried the squealing hobbits to the garden outside Bags-end and dumped them in the snow. They emerged coughing and spluttering with their tinsel caked in snow.  
"Never mess with the queens of snowball fights. Kels was captain of the volleyball team for a reason ya know." I gave Kels a high five and turned to enter the hole.

When we opened the round, oak door the strong smell of cooking in the air wafted out and our mouths began to drool. We all settled down and Sam came in holding a tray of cookies.  
"Yay!" squealed Pippin as he grabbed one off the plate and devoured it whole. Sam shook his head at the mess the snowy, tinsel covered hobbit was making. Thanking Sam I took myself a cookie.  
"Who wants to sing Christmas songs?" asked Kels. "Anyone?"  
"I dunno Kels..." She grinned and played one of the Christmas albums on her iPod (she has Christmas albums, I know right!). Frodo stepped forward and offered me his hand.  
'May I have this dance?" I giggled and placed my hand tenderly in his, Frodo had taught me the dance of this world but I still found the customs weird. It was hard to dance with someone half your size anyway. We danced around the living room and soon Pip and Merry joined us, dancing together. I threw my head back and laughed as Kels changed the song to something more lively. I made my way back to the chair and curled up under a blanket, watching as Kels danced with Sam and Frodo stoked the fire.

After we had all calmed down we made our way to the dinner table and Sam brought out the roast chicken with all the vegetables and trimmings.  
"Thank you Manwe for this glorious meal prepared by master Samwise. Please bless this food." we paused for a second. "Let's eat!"  
"Pass the chicken Pip." I reached out and took the plate from him and sliced some meat off for Kels and I. Rule number one when dining with hobbits, always take first share, otherwise there is none left by the time you get passed the plate. Kels scooped out a portion of roast potatoes for me and I dumped some vegetables on our plates before passing the food out for everyone else. As I munched on my food I briefly wondered how Fin and Di were. They were probably back at home by now, eating Christmas dinner at Di's house like every other year. Sitting in front of the fire with hot chocolate or making a snow fort in the garden. They were probably with their families enjoying the fun and festivities. Fin's birthday was in a few days' time come to think of it.  
_I wonder what my aunt is doing..._  
I missed her. She had done so much for me, she had cared for me since I was nine and put up with my little quirks and the problems I had. She had put me into therapy and had been ecstatic when I made friends. I looked around the table at the smiling faces of my new friends. She would be happy for me, I smiled to myself, and yes she would. My thoughts turned to Aragorn, the fearless ranger, who would most likely not be celebrating this holiday with anyone.  
_Poor him... _  
He had helped us but being the man he was he would be trekking through the wilderness on a new adventure rather than spending time with his adoptive family in Rivendell. I did hope that he had delivered our message.  
After we had all finished our food and mopped up the gravy, Sam brought out the Christmas pudding and custard. I opted for just the pudding (I don't like custard) while Kels took double helpings of the gelatinous substance.

When we were all done we sat down by the fire and drank the hot chocolate that Sam had so helpfully provided. I watched as Kels took out the book of Grimm's fairy tales I had given her that morning and began to read.  
"Once upon a time, in a faraway land there was a King and Queen, they were much loved by all of their subjects. One day, the queen had a child, a beautiful girl with golden hair. All the people adored the princess except one..."  
I listened intently but slowly I found myself drifting off into a deep sleep, still sitting in the arm chair by the fire.  
_Merry Christmas Fin... Merry Christmas Di... Merry Christmas Aragorn..._  
And then I let myself drift off into the dark world of sleep. That night I didn't dream. I did however imagine that someone placed a thick woollen blanket over me and kissed my forehead before turning out the lights. I could not see their face for it was too dark, but their presence comforted me. I found that as long as this person was with me all negative thoughts were banished from my mind.  
"Quel kaima." A voice breathed in my ear and the beautiful language swirled around in my mind, elvish. I felt the presence depart as it left me to rest. I did not know what they said but promised myself that, in the morning, I would find out what it meant and hopefully who the speaker was. Hopefully...

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**A.N/ MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D**


	17. Deja Vu

**A.N/ Thank you so much for your amazing reviews/follows/favourites, they mean a lot to us! It is my birthday tomorrow so can I have a birthday present, pretty please? :) MWAHAHA, emotional blackmail... Anyway, in this chapter we join the original lotr storyline so here goes nothing!**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing :( I tried to get ownership but they declined my offer... Oh well :)**

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Chapter Fifteen – Déjà Vu

_5 YEARS LATER_

Seph's POV

I crept silently through the brush, listening intently to the sounds of the forest around me. A small scuffling caught my attention and I pushed aside a bush to reveal a group of three young rabbits. Smiling to myself I reached over my shoulder and slid and arrow from the quiver on my back. Placing the arrow on the string of my bow I pulled it taut. I aimed at the largest rabbit and was about to release when a large noise echoed through the forest. The rabbits shot off into the undergrowth and I placed the arrow back in my quiver with an angry huff.

I strode through the forest in the direction of the sound and was not at all surprised to see Merry and Pippin, standing in the centre of a small glade. Glaring fiercely I continued forward and picked them both up by their collars. Letting out terrified squeaks, they turned their heads and gave me smiles with quivering lips.  
"W-Why hello there Seph," Merry managed.  
"You scared off the game." They looked at each other wide eyed. After I had obtained my bow from a merchant passing through the village and trained myself to use it, scaring of the game had become a major crime and the two hobbits knew they were in for it.  
"RUN!" Pippin yelled, dropping from my grasp and running in the direction of the town centre.  
"WAIT FOR ME PIP!" Merry anxiously called after him as he too bolted from the glade. With a sigh I slowly made my way back to Bags-end. After Merry and Pippin have scared the game there is no chance of catching anything.

Opening the door I stomped in with a look fiery enough to make Mordor look cold. Looking up from his book in the smallest green armchair, Frodo gave me a knowing look.  
"What did they do this time?" Turning my gaze on him, I caught his smiled. Frodo was one of the few people who could keep their cool when in the same room as an angry me.  
"They scared the game." I growled before dropping my bow and quiver on the table and stomping off to Bilbo's study where I grabbed one of the old, long gone hobbits books of elvish literature and plonked myself, in an unladylike manner, on the floor.

My ears pricked as I heard the sound of the door opening, before clicking shut once more.  
"I'm back!" I listened as Kels deposited the groceries in the kitchen and made way down the corridor.  
"I suppose they scared the game again." I glared up at Kels who was looking down at me with a half-smile through the study door. We had both changed a lot over the past five years. We had both grown (though I was still on the short side) and our features had matured over the years. Kels was pretty in a natural way, not supermodel perfection but she had a special glow about her, an ability to make a person smile in the toughest of situations. Standing up I caught sight of my reflection in the hall mirror. If Kels was the house cat, I was the feral cat. Curly hair that stuck out in various directions after the time spent in the wind and a good tan from spending hours at a time out in the sun. My fingers were calloused from my constant archery practice and I had a pale white scar, barely visible, across my right cheek bone. I had come by it when I found some form of wild beast out in the forest. As a reckless fifteen year old that enjoyed a challenge I thought I could handle it and got a scar when it turned around and batted me in the face. Being who I am I declared it public enemy number one and shot it in the head. Turns out the beast had been eating Farmer Maggot's sheep so no one complained.

"Come on Seph. Let's go and find them." I grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "But first," she added, looking down at my attire. "Get changed. I don't want another lecture from the Sackvilles about dressing properly." laughing I hurried into my room and swapped my breeches, cotton shirt and leather boots for a more suitable plain green dress before re-joining Kels in the lobby.  
"Don't kill them too much." Frodo yelled from the living room as we departed.

Most of our afternoon was spent hunting for the two rascals. They had learnt something from previous incidents; I would come after them so they had to hide. We were ready to give up when my elven ears picked up a hushed whispering from the rafters above us in the mill.  
"Is she gonna see us."  
"I don't think so Pip." I slowly turned to face Kels who winked at me. She had heard them as well.  
"We do not need to see you to hear you." I said loudly and was rewarded with terrified shrieks and two hobbits falling from the high beams in surprise.

That was three hours ago. We now found ourselves back in the green dragon with Pippin and Merry dancing on the table. I was rewarded by a sense of sudden déjà vu. I could not recall hearing this song before but it seemed familiar.  
"Hey! Ho! To the bottle I go," sang the two hobbits.  
"To heal my heart and drown my woe!  
Rain may fall and wind may blow!  
But there still be many miles to go!"  
"Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,  
And stream that falls from hill to plain!  
Better than rain or a rippling brook,  
Is a mug of beer inside this Took!" The crowd began to laugh at the last line and I made my way over to Sam's table.

"Been some strange folk crossing the Shire," said one of the hobbits in a low, gruff voice,  
"Dwarves and others of a less than savoury nature." I closed my eyes. Where had I heard this from?  
"War's bruin'," put in gaffer. "The mountains are teemin' with goblins." My eyes snapped open with a start. The book, the story was beginning.  
"Far off tales and children's stories, that's all that is." Added a sandy haired hobbit with a voice that sounded like someone was holding his nose. "You're startin' to sound like that old Bilbo Baggins. Cracked he was."  
"Young Mister Frodo here, he's crackin'," grinned gaffer.  
"And proud of it. Ain't that right Seph." I chuckled.  
"Aye. Truer words were never spoken."  
"Cheers gaffer." Frodo passed me a mug of ale and I quickly downed it. I was now legal since My eighteenth birthday had passed by just over a year ago and had turned nineteen about a month ago. Drinking contests were fun in the Shire. Elvish toleration for alcohol made us the life of the party and a sure bet if you wanted to make cash. After another hour the three of us (Kels, Frodo and I) made our way back to Bags-end.

"Something isn't right." I whispered as we opened the door. The house was almost pitch black and it was eerily quiet. I turned to see the cause of a creaking sound and saw that the window was wide open and the wind was causing the curtains to billow and the paper on the table to fly away. Making our way down the corridor slowly we all tried to shake of the shivers that were travelling up our spines and the ominous fog that seemed to shroud the hobbit hole. We stood and looked around in the darkness. Suddenly a hand grabbed Frodo's shoulder and we all turned quickly. I felt my heart rate slow when I saw that it was only Gandalf and breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Is it secret?" He whispered. "Is it safe?" Frodo hurried over to a chest in the corner of the room and removed an envelope while Mithrandir continued to jump at the slightest noise. Gandalf immediately grabbed the letter from Frodo's hand and threw it in the fire.  
"What the hell?" hissed Kels, a look of shock on her face. Leaning close to her ear I whispered for only her to hear.  
"It has begun." She turned to me, looking distraught and nodded. I watched as Gandalf removed the ring (which was obviously the contents of the envelope) from the fire.  
"Hold out your hand Frodo." doing as the istari commanded the dark haired hobbit reached out his hand.  
"It is quite cool." reassured Gandalf before dropping the ring in his outstretched palm.  
"What can you see?" Gandalf asked him, standing up from where he was crouched. "can you see anything?"  
"Nothing. There's nothing." Gandalf began to breathe more evenly.  
"Um... Sorry to interrupt." Kels said. "But I think Frodo should look again." Gandalf stared at us wide eyed. He looked more scared than a mouse that has been cornered by a cat.  
"Wait." Frodo whispered. "There are markings, some form of elvish. I can't read it."  
"There are few who can. It is the language of Mordor which I will not utter here."  
"Mordor." Frodo managed and took a step back so he was pressed up against Kels and I.  
"Yes." I muttered.  
"In the common tongue." Gandalf began. "It reads, One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

"This is the one ring." I said as we sat down at the table and Gandalf pulled out his pipe.  
"Forged by Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom." Added Kelly, both of us stealing Gandalf's lines which caused him to glare at us slightly but a grin made its way onto his face.  
"Stop stealing my lines."  
"A little humour in a dark time helps the soul."  
"Whose words are those?" asked Kels.  
"Mine." I sat back in my seat and dozed off a bit as they continued the conversation which I had heard so many times before. I could hear them walking around and Frodo freaking out slightly.  
"Seph!" I jolted awake, leapt up and ran to my room to gather my stuff.  
"Let's get packing people!" I grabbed my cloak, some spare garments, dried food from the cupboard and filled my water skin, packing it all in my old, much worn, bag from home. Stopping a second I smiled at the memories it brought back and thought for a moment of Di and Fin before chucking my iPod in my bag and turning my mind to more pressing matters. I changed into my elvish hunting gear and grabbed my bow, slinging my quiver over my back and re-joined the others as they discussed our destination.  
"Make for Bree." I continued to ignore them as I knew it all already. Gandalf started off about Sauruman and I rolled my eyes.  
"Seph."  
"What? Oh... Goodbye." Gandalf chuckled and gave me a smile. He handed me a medical pack and I grinned up at him.  
"Thanks." I smiled hugging him. "I wish we could have met again under better circumstances."  
Suddenly a sound was heard outside the window and Gandalf stepped forward.  
"Stupid Samwise." I muttered and Frodo looked up at me and rolled his eyes.  
Gandalf reached through the window, dragged Sam in, pinned him to the table and began the interrogation.

"Samwise Gamgee. Have you been eavesdropping?"  
"I ain't bin droppin' no eaves sir."  
"Mithrandir." He turned his head to me. "Save the questions. He heard it all."  
"Please don't turn me into anything unnatural."  
"No?" He raised a bushy eyebrow and Frodo, Kels and I grinned. "I have thought of a better use for you." Gandalf sat Sam down and explained our mission (well the bits Sam hadn't overheard) and Frodo helped me pack an extra bag for the chubby hobbit. Walking to the front door I opened it slowly and we all stared at the empty road outside, lit by the midnight stars.  
"This is the last time we will see this place for quite a long while." I breathed and turned to look at Gandalf  
"I hope you looked after Thor!" He nodded and smiled.  
"He will be awaiting you in Bree." I then looked down at Frodo. His face was set in a firm line and I could not help but feel sorry for my little brother, he had no idea of the events to come.  
"Let's get this over with." whispered Frodo. And so we took the first steps on our adventure, continuing on as the sun began to peek over the horizon. The journey had just begun.

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**A.N/ Review? Pretty pretty please? Birthdays are nothing (at least no fun) without presents :)**


	18. Mushrooms

**A.N/ Happy new year everyone! I'd just like to say a quick thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, it means a lot :) On with the first chapter of 2013!**

**Disclaimer... We own nothing, as usual...**

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Chapter Sixteen - Mushrooms

Kels' POV

We had been trekking for a fair amount of time when Sam stopped. The sun was high above us in the sky and we were entering a wheat field.  
"This is it." I raised an eyebrow. He could be so melodramatic if he wanted to.  
"This is what?" asked Frodo, turning back after realising that Sam had indeed stopped.  
"If I take one more step it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been."  
"Come on Sam," Seph coaxed, a sisterly smile on her face, and took his hand. "We'll take the step together. On the count of three. One... two... three!" and they both took a step forward.  
"See! Wasn't that hard was it." Sam smiled and we continued on through the field.

After a couple of hours we set up camp. Well Seph and I set up camp while Sam cooked and Frodo lounged in a tree being ever so helpful.  
"Do I smell sausages? And perhaps bacon?" asked Seph, wandering her way over to Sam.  
"Aye, that ya do." A grin spread across my face.  
"Man I love your cooking Sam." Sam of course turned beet red and the sausages in the pan suddenly looked really interesting.  
"Can you hear that Kels?" I turned to Seph. Her ears were twitching slightly as she listened. A sweet, melancholy song danced through the air.  
"Aye, I do."  
"Wood elves!" exclaimed Frodo, leaping from his perch in the tree closely followed by Sam. We ran up a small hill and bent down behind a log to watch. The ethereal glow of the elves lit up the forest and I watched sadly as they made their way to the grey havens and onto the undying lands.  
"They are going to the harbour, beyond the white tower, to the grey havens," Frodo whispered. Frodo and Sam continued their talk but I paid little heed. My eyes were transfixed on the sad figures of the elves before me.  
"Kels." I spun around, snapping out of my stupor. Seph crouched in front of me with a small smile.  
"We are heading back to camp," she whispered, gesturing over her shoulder. "Come on."

"Everywhere I lie there's a dirty great root stickin' into my back," muttered Sam from his place on the ground.  
"And that Samwise is why it is called the great outdoors," exclaimed Seph from the other side of Frodo earning a snicker from me.  
"Well it's alright for you two elves. You spent most o' your time outside anyways. Slept three nights a week in the garden or forest, you did Seph."  
"Just shut your eyes and imagine you're back in your own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feather pillow." Sam finally stopped wriggling around and closed his eyes. After about five seconds he reopened them.  
"It's not working Mr Frodo. I'm never gonna be able to sleep out here."  
"Me neither Sam," whispered Frodo.  
"Well you two suit yourselves! I'm getting some shut eye." Seph curled up next to me and grinned.  
"If you two don't learn to sleep out here you're both going to drop dead on your feet by the weeks end."

Opening my eyes the next morning I saw Seph already up and packing all of our belongings away, the hobbits were asleep.  
"I'm never going to be able to sleep out here!" squealed Seph in a high voice, flashing me a Cheshire cat grin.  
"Me neither Sam!" I replied in a high and squeaky voice.  
"Yeah, yeah guys we get it," muttered Frodo, sitting up. "Up you get Sam." Sam however ignored this and continued his snooze. I watched as Seph wandered off and returned with a bucket of water from the stream.  
"Seph we have enough water." commented the dark haired hobbit who passed Seph and me an apple each.  
"Not enough for what I am about to do." At which she turned and chucked the frigid water over the still sleeping form of Samwise Gamgee.  
"Agh!" yelled Sam jolting upright.  
"Look who's decided to join the world. Come on we were just having breakfast."

Walking through a cornfield I lazily whistled the theme to the Wizard of Oz and laughed at the priceless look on Sam's face when Seph made a random comment upon hearing my music.  
"Follow the yellow brick road!" Sam began to turn around in circles, searching for the yellow brick road until Frodo explained what she had been talking about. I like the wizard of Oz. It's my favourite musical. We continued walking through the tall corn, tall enough to be above our heads.  
"Mr Frodo," Came a shout.  
"Sam's got lost!" I whispered, a hint of a smile on my lips.  
"FRODO!" He yelled like the black riders were behind him, which I dearly hoped they were not.  
"I thought I'd lost you!" He said, breathing hard. Frodo and Sam continued talking and I began to look around. If my calculations were correct there should be an incoming in three... two... one, and suddenly we were knocked flat on our backs by a pair of hobbits carrying vegetables.  
"You two are total idiots!" exclaimed Seph. "Now we have Maggot after us! Not just some unseen and incredibly dangerous force! Just great!"  
Just then the sound of dogs barking and Maggot's shouting floated over to us. I grabbed Merry and Sam, dragging into the corn behind Seph and the other two.  
"You'd better run, run, run, run, run because there's gonna be some hell to pay," sang Seph.  
"Not appropriate right now Seph! It is more important to get away from this guy!" I threw my mind back to my first meeting with the man and hoped that I would never have to repeat the experience. The small hobbit had scared me half to death until Seph stepped in and kindly pointed out that Pippin was stealing his mushrooms.

"I don't know why he's so upset!" yelled Merry as we bolted through the corn. "It's only a couple of carrots."  
"And some cabbages!" added Pippin. "And those three bags of potatoes we left him last week. And then the mushrooms the week before!"  
"Yes Pippin! My point is he is clearly overreacting.  
"Damn, I just remembered something!" I yelled.  
"You left your makeup at home?" called Seph.  
"No! We are heading for the edge of a goddamn cliff!" I stopped along with Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Seph with a jolt. Sam who had not heard my warning barrelled straight into us.  
As we rolled and skidded down the hill/cliff I mentally cursed my elvish balance for not helping in the slightest. Tumbling over a drop at the bottom we all landed in a pile on the forest floor, all except Seph who had skidded down on her bum, pushed herself off at the last moment and landed neatly on her feet a few yards from us.  
"Oh. that was close." said Pippin and Seph rolled her eyes and dragged him from the bottom of the pile.  
"You, little brother, need to stop stealing his crops!" Seph exclaimed and dusted him off before cuffing him lightly around the back of the head. "That is for getting us into this mess!"  
"And this is for scaring us yesterday!" said Pip, punching her lightly on the arm. They laughed as any close friends or siblings do before helping us up. Sam had grass in his mouth and I had leaves in my hair.  
"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!" exclaimed Sam.  
"What?" asked Merry "That was just a detour, a shortcut."  
"Yeah right." I muttered, brushing myself down and checking that my sword was not damaged.  
"A shortcut to what?" mumbled Sam, in the same frame of mind as me.  
"Mushrooms!" stated Pippin. The hobbits, except Frodo leapt towards the pile of fungi.  
"I don't think the road is safe," whispered Seph glancing around. Frodo began to pace.  
"I think we should get off the road." Seph and I nodded, finding places to hide. Seph scaled an old horse chestnut tree with so many branches that her figure became lost in the leaves. I climbed under the root from the film. A strangled shrill scream echoed around us and I squeezed my eyes shut.  
"Get off the road! Quick!" exclaimed Frodo and they all came and hid beside me. The sound of a horse above us made us freeze. I felt myself stop breathing and the air became visibly colder. The hobbits looked around, frightened and Pippin gripped my tunic tightly. A thud sounded as the rider dismounted. I did not have to look to know what was there. It leant down, over the ridge and I could see its metal gloved hand, menacing in the half light. Bugs began to crawl over us and I almost threw up as a centipede climbed over my shoulder. Frodo gasped slightly and his eyes widened, not focusing. His eyes closed and he subconsciously took the ring from his pocket and slowly, dramatically, went to put it on. The ringwraith above us turned and the horse gave a growling sound. I grabbed Frodo's hand and he shot back to consciousness, nodding to me. Suddenly, a loud sound came from Merry's side and the wraith screamed before riding off to investigate. Looking over I could see that the hobbits still had the mushrooms.

Seph dropped from the tree, into a crouch in front of us.  
"I took it upon myself to throw a sack of conkers since you lot were too busy," she stood, brushing herself off. "However, now I think we should run." Without another word said we shot down the hill and through the undergrowth, over rocks and under branches.  
"What was that?" asked Merry, falling to the ground.  
"I know," I whispered. "But it is for neither Seph nor I to tell you." They nodded and got up and we continued on. The forest became increasingly dark and spooky. The trees looked like dark hands, reaching out to grab you. The wail of the nazgul split the air and we ran from tree to tree, staying out of sight.  
"Anything?" called Sam.  
"Nothing!" replied the blue eyed hobbit next to me.  
"What is going on?" asked Pip, leaning against Seph with a sigh. "I wish I was back home." Looking down at Pippin Seph sighed.  
"Be careful what you wish, you don't always get what you bargained for. And the worst part? you can never take it back." I knew what she was referring to and smiled sadly.  
"That black rider was looking for something," pointed out Merry. "Or someone." He took a few steps forward and turned.

"Frodo?"

Frodo stared back apologetically.  
"Get down!" I exclaimed in unison with Sam. We all dropped to the ground and looked up. The black rider was framed in the moonlight. It turned and went away.  
"I have to leave the Shire." whispered Frodo. Merry looked at him and nodded. "Sam and I must get to Bree but we must take an unexpected path."  
"Right..." Merry whispered in thought. His eyes snapped up. "Buckleberry ferry!" Seph chuckled.  
"That rhymes!" I said.  
"Not right now Kels!"  
"Humour in a dark time is good for the soul!" She rolled her eyes as we ran for the ferry. We sprinted as fast as our legs would carry us. The black rider suddenly burst out of a tree and started in pursuit. Picking up Sam who was lagging behind, Seph led us to the ferry. We reached a fence which we hurdled and continued down, the river came into sight. We ran down and leapt onto the ferry. I turned and noticed that Frodo was lagging behind.  
"Frodo!" I screamed. The black rider was on his tail and gaining ground fast. The hobbits untied the boat as Frodo neared. We were all screaming for him.  
"Go!" he yelled and Sam pushed off.  
"Jump Frodo I'll catch you!" yelled Seph. He leapt and very nearly missed but Seph's strong arms grabbed him and pulled him aboard before he hit the water. The rider stopped at the edge of the gangway and the horse rose up on its hind legs growling and the wraith wailed once again before turning back and heading into the mist.  
"How far to the nearest crossing?" choked Frodo painfully as he tried to regain his breath.  
"Brandywine bridge," answered Merry, rowing. "Twenty miles!" We watched in horror as the silhouettes of two more black riders joined that of our attacker.  
"We need to head through the old forest," Pippin said, looking up at the others. "It's the quickest route to Bree and they won't follow us in there.  
"Agreed!" said Sam. "We head through the old forest!"  
"But mind Withywindle Valley," added Merry. I nodded knowing that 'trying to avoid it' would do no good but decided to keep my mouth shut.  
"Then it is decided," said Frodo. "We take the path of the old forest."

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**A.N/ Thanks for reading, please leave a review :)**


	19. An Obsession with Lilies

**A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I'm so sorry that we didn't update sooner but we were flooded in a sudden tidal wave of homework. I promise that we will update sooner this time and you all have the right to kill us if we don't. I would like to get at least five more reviews on this chapter if possible, it means the world to us! Constructive criticism is also welcome.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue...  
**

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Chapter Seventeen – An Obsession with Lilies

Seph's POV

We arrived at the other side of the river when the first rays of morning sunlight where just touching the sky, turning it to gold. Making our way down a small path we came to a wall. The path split off in two different directions but Merry went forwards to the wall and pushed aside a bush, revealing a hole.  
"Through we go!" exclaimed Merry. "Unless you're 'avin' second thoughts of course!"  
_This appears to be a book and film medley. We met Pippin and Merry like the film but we're going through the old forest, like the book. Oh well, if we are..._  
"Seph!" I looked up and frowned.  
"You disturbed my internal monologue!" Kels snorted in 'friendly' derision and I frowned even more.  
Picking my pack up from the floor I strode through the gap in the wall, closely followed by Kels and the hobbits.  
"Are the stories about this place true?" asked Pippin.  
"I don't know what stories you mean," Merry answered. "If you mean the old bogey-stories that Gaffer used to tell us, about Goblins and wolves and things of that sort, I should say no. At any rate I don't believe them. But the forest is queer..."  
"Merry you're freaking him out!" Kels exclaimed.  
"Merry was just trying to say that the trees are aware of everything around them, more so than other trees," I explained to Pippin who nodded before complaining about the lack of breakfast.  
"What I wouldn't do for some nice takeaway scrambled eggs right now," he muttered to himself, kicking a stone to amuse himself.  
"We need to head for Bonfire glade," Frodo explained. "After that there is a fairly easy path all the way to Bree, we just need to follow this track."  
After about half an hour more of walking Kels began to whistle and came up with her own little tune.  
"When the trees move, dun du dun dun,  
You're gonna get lost, doo doo doo doo."  
"Kels!" I turned to look at her and glared savagely, she returned a grin and shrugged. We constantly had to change paths as the trees appeared to move and block the way. Pippin finally had enough and began to yell curses, running around in a circle. Putting a hand out to stop him I gave him the serious look.  
"That's just making it worse Pip." Which indeed it was. More trees moved to bar our way and we had to walk further to get around them. Merry suddenly gave a whistle of relief and pointed ahead.  
"Well, well!" he said. "These trees do shift. There is the Bonfire Glade in front of us (or I hope so), but the path to it seems to have moved away!" The light grew clearer as we went forward. Suddenly we came out of the trees into a wide glade, the sun was higher in the sky than I had anticipated, I had clearly underestimated the amount of time we had been walking in that god forsaken forest. A clear path was open on the other side and we continued, lighter hearted. Soon however the air became hot and stuffy and the trees appeared to be closing in again. It was deathly silent and all that could be heard was the loud footsteps and breathing of the hobbits, mostly Sam. Our feet of course were completely silent, a great perk of being an elf. Trying to lighten the mood I began to sing the song that Kels had been humming yesterday. However I sang the version that Kels and I had created after doing the show as our end of year play.  
"We're off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard in grey!  
His clothes are grey, his hair is grey and even his mood is grey!" I sang with vigour and Kels joined in.  
"If ever a wizard in grey there was, the wizard in grey is one because, because, because, because, because, BECAUSE! Because of the wonderful things he does! (while wearing grey clothes of course) Yes we are off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard in grey!" We chuckled but soon our sounds once again faded to silence. Just behind us a large branch fell from an overhanging tree with a crash on the path and the trees inched closer.  
"I should not sing any more at present." said Merry. "Wait till we do get to the edge, and then we'll turn and give them a rousing chorus." Kels chuckled and nodded, the others did not answer. We were all feeling pretty depressed and Frodo was beginning to think that coming this way was a bad idea.

Later that day we climbed to the top of a small hill.  
"That is the line of the Withywindle." explained Merry, pointing. "We don't want to go that way! The Withywindle valley is said to be the queerest part of the woods - the centre from which all the queerness comes, as it were."  
"We are totally, completely and absolutely lost." I muttered half-heartedly, ruffling Sam's hair.  
"No we aren't!" exclaimed Pippin. "We are going to follow the north path!"  
"It's no use." I cursed the ground. "The damn trees don't care where WE want to go, only where _they_ want us to go." Kicking a stone I followed the others down the path. We had not followed it far when the hobbits noticed that the path was turning to the right. Not much time after that the path began to quickly descend.  
"We appear to be heading for Withywindle," commented Frodo. "Not at all the desired direction." After several discussions in which I played no part, we headed north. The land beneath our feet was constantly changing and the hobbits soon lost all sense of direction.  
"The path is already chosen," I whispered. I smiled down at Frodo who was looking up at me for encouragement. "The path leads to no," (serious) I added mentally, "harm. We might as well follow."

The afternoon wore on as we continued our journey, downwards. The brook beside us grew strong and noisy and we followed it through a dim lit gulley, we quite suddenly found ourselves out of the gloom. The bank loomed behind us and in front was a wide space covered in grass and reeds. In the centre of it wound a beautiful river, bordered with ancient willow trees.  
"Dangerous trees," muttered Kels and I nodded my head in agreement.  
"Well, now at least I have some notion of where we are!" said Merry. "We have come almost in the opposite direction to which we intended. It's the River Withywindle!"  
"Ten points for the astute observation," I muttered as the hobbits ran off. We followed a small path on the edge of the river until Merry almost collapsed.  
"It's no good!" Merry exclaimed. "Can't go another step without rest. Must have a nap. It's cool under the willows," Frodo complained and I backed slowly away from said trees until I was some distance away. I watched curiously as, one by one, the hobbits and Kels drifted off to sleep under the willow. I watched dazed as a tree root threw Frodo into the water, at which Sam woke up and dragged him out. The argued slightly before turning to me.  
"What are you doing over there in the heat Seph?" called Frodo.  
"Two things!" I yelled back. "One! I come from Greece Frodo! I do not mind this weather. And two! I am staying away from that dangerous tree which threw Frodo into the water and has just swallowed Merry, Pippin and Kels!" Suddenly realising what I had just said I leapt up and ran over to the tree, dragging Kels out of the crack, her lower legs were in it but the rest of her was out. Pippin and Merry had disappeared completely.  
"Try a fire!" yelled Sam as he and Frodo tried to get the other two out. I was splashing water on Kels face. She was still rather dazed, wouldn't you be after being swallowed by a tree? I heard Merry scream and I stomped out the fire that Frodo had started.  
"That tree will squeeze them in two if you do that!" Frodo, who was at a complete loss, began to run along the path screaming for aid. Suddenly a loud low voice could be heard singing.

"_Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo!_  
_Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow!_  
_Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"_

Sam and Frodo froze, not quite sure what to make of this new voice. Then of course the voice started up again.

"_Hey! Come Merry dol! Derry dol! My darling!_  
_Light goes the weather-wind and the feathered starling._  
_Down along under Hill, shining in the sunlight,_  
_Waiting on the doorstep for the cold starlight,_  
_There my pretty lady is, River-woman's daughter,_  
_Slender as the willow-wand, clearer than the water,_  
_Old Tom Bombadil water-lilies bringing,_  
_Comes hopping home again. Can you hear him singing?_  
_Hey! Come merry dol! Derry dol! And merry-o,_  
_Goldberry, Goldberry, merry yellow berry-o!_  
_Poor old Willow-man, you tuck your roots away! _  
_Tom's in a hurry now. Evening will follow day._  
_Tom's going home again, water lilies bringing._  
_Hey! Come merry dol! Can you hear me singing?"_

Then, hopping and dancing along the path came a man, taller than the hobbits definitely, but shorter than even me (I'm 5 3', no laughing! Being an elf didn't seem to change my height, or more accurately the lack of it) so he wasn't your average man. He was wearing an old, battered hat with a tall crown and a long blue feather stuck in the band. He had a blue coat and a long brown beard, his eyes were blue and bright, and his face as red as a ripe apple but creased with laughter. In his hand was a leaf covered in white lilies.  
"Help!" yelled Frodo and Sam running towards him.  
"Whoa! Whoa! Steady there!" said the man and both hobbits stopped short like an invisible wall was stopping them going any further.  
"Why hello there Tom!" Kels exclaimed walking to the hobbits. "Our two friends are stuck in the willow tree! Could you help!"  
"What?" shouted Tom Bombadil, leaping into the air. "Old man Willow? Nought worse than that eh? That can soon be mended. I know the tune for him. Worry not halflings and the blessed children of Manwe." Setting the lilies down he skipped up to the willow and began to sing. Merry began to kick and Tom hit the tree with a fallen branch. Tom continued his shouting but I was too stunned to listen.  
_'The blessed children of Manwe.'_  
That is what he had called us. We ourselves had named us the blessed 'Beni' but 'Children of Manwe' -that was new…  
Suddenly there was a tearing creak, Pippin and Merry leapt from the newly formed cracks in the tree like they had been kicked.  
"Thank you!" we all exclaimed.

Tom chuckled and looked at our faces one by one. "Well my little fellows and children of Manwe, you shall come home with me! The table is all laden with yellow cream, honeycomb and white bread and butter; Goldberry is waiting! Time enough for questions around the supper table." He said, looking at me. With that, he picked up the lilies and began to skip off. Hoisting a still dazed Pippin up onto my back we followed after him as fast as we could. However he slowly got further and further away until even his music disappeared. Just then, Tom's voice suddenly sang out once more.

_"Hop along, my little friends, up the Withywindle!_  
_Tom's going on ahead candles for the kindle._  
_Down west sinks the Sun: soon you will be groping._  
_When the night-shadows fall, then the door will open,_  
_Out of the window-panes light will twinkle yellow._  
_Fear no alder black! Heed no hoary willow!_  
_Fear neither root nor bough! Tom goes on before you.  
Hey now! Merry dol! We'll be waiting for you!"_

_"And it's getting bloody dark!" _I sang - and in truth it was. As soon as his song had finished the sun had sunk down behind the trees. The hobbits began to stumble (all except Pip who of course was on my back) and Kels and I grabbed their arms. We could still see fine. We were all very tired and our legs became lead blocks, strange noises sounded in the undergrowth and the trees around us looked like gnarled faces. Just as we were all about to collapse from weariness, the trees came to an end and the mist disappeared. The river, now smaller and swifter, leapt to meet our feet (especially Merry's) and the stars shone like flashlights in the sky.  
The grass under our feet was short and smooth as if it had been cut recently. The trees were clipped and the path was now plain before us, well-tended with stone borders. it wound up a grassy hill which shone silver in the starlight until, at the top, it reached a house, twinkling lights in the windows. We quickly hurried up the path towards the light. Suddenly, a yellow beam flowed out brightly from the door as it opened. There was the house of Tom Bombadil. We picked up pace, half of our exhaustion and fears had already fallen from our shoulders and the songs of Tom floated through the door. Then another clear voice, sweet and beautiful, flowed out to meet us as we neared the door and stepped into the threshold.

We found ourselves in a long room with lamps swinging from the rafters. In a chair at the other end of the room sat a woman, her golden hair her waving down her back. she wore a green dress with a golden belt shaped like water-lilies.  
"Enter good guests!" she said and we all took another shaky step forward as I lowered Pippin to the floor where he wobbled for a moment. Before we could say anything she bounced up and ran laughing towards us.  
"Come dear folk!" she exclaimed taking Frodo's hand. "Laugh and be merry! I am Goldberry, daughter of the River." She then leapt past us. "Let us shut out the night!" she said. "For you are still afraid, perhaps, of mist and tree-shadows and deep water, and untamed things. Fear nothing! For tonight you are under the roof of Tom Bombadil."  
"Fair lady Goldberry!" Frodo said. "Now I understand the joy that was hidden in the songs we heard." and he began to sing one of Bombadil's songs. Suddenly he stopped, surprised that he had sung it and Goldberry laughed sweetly. Ignoring their conversation I looked around. A small fire was crackling away merrily in the fire place and there were white lilies in many a place. On the mantelpiece, in a vase, in a bowl of water on the table...  
_Well someone is obsessed with lilies._

The hobbits and Kels took their places in the low reed chairs around the table as Goldberry busied herself with preparations.  
"I see you have noticed my love of lilies, daughter of Manwe." Goldberry smiled as she skipped past. "You are quite the lily yourself." I snorted slightly and shook my head.  
"If you mean a lily that has been scarred by passing animals and wilted by the sun then yes, I am a lily." Goldberry began to giggle.  
"That is not what I meant at all. You are very beautiful! So is your friend."  
"You are much mistaken milady."  
"No, I don't believe I am. Your face is fair and your soul is fairer. You would not have been chosen if that was not so."  
"Chosen for what?" but she had already skipped away. I turned to Kels who shrugged.  
'I don't know' she mouthed and I sighed, taking my place next to Pippin.  
"I think your beautiful!" said Pip. "You are very beautiful, just as beautiful as Goldberry. Both of you are and you are fun as well which is even better." I giggled and ruffled his hair.  
"Whatever ya say Pip."  
"It's true!" said Sam going beet red.  
"Yeah!" exclaimed Merry. "You are beautiful." I rolled my eyes and so did Kels.  
"Thanks for the compliments guys." She said with a smile. Frodo turned and began to speak with Goldberry who was staring at me with a knowing smile the whole time. A door opened and in came Tom. He had a conversation with Goldberry but I spent my time inspecting my skin which had somehow become dirty and horrible. Suddenly Tom began to speak very loudly and I looked up to see what was happening.

"Tom, Tom! Your guests are tired and you had near forgotten!" he exclaimed, chiding himself. "Come now, my merry friends, and Tom will refresh you! You shall clean grimy hands, and wash weary faces; cast off your muddy cloaks and comb out your tangles!" I sighed in relief and stood up, following him down a short passage. He then directed the hobbits to the left room, and Kels and I to the right. We entered a low room with a sloping roof with walls of clean stone and a flagstone floor. There were two beds with thick, comfortable mattresses (some type of memory foam) and there were blankets piled on the floor, to the side. Against the other wall were basins filled with water, some hot and some cold, and we wasted no time in stripping down to our undergarments so we could scrub ourselves. I could almost feel the dirt sliding off of my body as I washed and my skin seemed newly revitalised. I applied a moisturiser to my skin, which had been left on the side, and scrubbed vigorously through my hair with another lotion which they had kindly labelled 'for hair'. I looked to my right to see Kels doing the same. After drying our bodies off we both slid into the beds and had a quiet nap. When we awoke I saw that two dresses had mysteriously appeared on one of the beds. Grabbing the silver dress I slid it down over my head. It had a sweetheart neckline, trimmed with midnight blue ribbon and flared at the waist. The sleeves were long, flaring at the elbow and continuing on a bit past my fingers. I turned to see that Kels was wearing a similar dress but with a square neckline and the fabric of the dress was gold. She twirled slightly and the skirt billowed out.

Making our way back down the hall we entered the dining room to see that the hobbits were already there. There was a collective gasp and I looked around trying to see what the problem was. Frodo laughed and led us to our seats.  
"You two look beautiful." I looked over at Kels and she looked at me. Her skin seemed to almost glow from the inside and her brown eyes seemed slightly golden. Even her hair looked like liquid chocolate, running smoothly down her back. If I had said that she didn't look like a supermodel earlier then I took it back now. I looked to my own reflection in the mirror and stared. That couldn't be me. My skin appeared to be glowing as well and my hair looked more golden than caramel in the light of the lamps. My normally murky blue eyes were crystal clear and had taken on an almost turquoise sheen.  
"What was in that lotion?" I said, turning slowly to Goldberry who giggled.  
"Lilies." I raised an eyebrow.  
"And?"  
"Other natural ingredients." She said, eyes twinkling. Rolling my eyes I turned to Sam.  
"Pass the honeycomb please!"

Dinner was a long and merry meal, despite the fact that the hobbits ate like only a hobbit that had missed five out of seven meals that day could eat, there was never a lack of food. The drink appeared to be water yet it gave the joy of wine and soon we were all singing merrily.  
_"There's a little ditty, they're singing in the city,_  
_Especially when they've been on the gin or the beer." I began to sing._  
_"If you've got the patience, your own imaginations,_  
_Will tell you just exactly what you want to hear._  
_Oom pah pah, Oom pah pah, that's how it goes,_  
_Oom pah pah, Oom pah pah, everyone knows,_  
_They all suppose what they wanna suppose,_  
_when they hear Oom pah pah."_  
This continued until, at last, Tom and Goldberry rose and cleared up the table. We were all told to stay quiet as we were placed in large armchairs with footstools for our legs in front of the fire. All of the lamps were put out except one and a pair of candles on the mantelpiece. Goldberry glided across, holding a candle and smiled, wishing us each a good rest. She turned to leave but I reached out a hand to stop her.  
"Milady." she turned back and smiled gently.  
"Yes?"  
"You call us daughters of Manwe and you say we are chosen. What do you mean?"  
placing her candle on the table beside me she knelt down.  
"You have always thought your coming here was a mistake but I tell you now that it was not. You are the children of Manwe and you were chosen to come here. All that has happened has come pass for a reason though it may not be clear just yet."  
"Do I have super powers then?" I asked wearily.  
"I know not what 'super powers' are but you will find everything out in good time. You have a part to play in this. A part that even I cannot comprehend." Kissing my forehead she stood up. "Sleep well," and with that she turned and left. Kels turned to me and smiled.  
"Well that was an awful lot to take in."

I grinned back and closed my eyes.

"Did you hear me calling or was it just chance that brought you at the moment?" I heard Frodo ask Tom who had remained in the room.  
"Eh, what?" he replied and I giggled under my breath. "Did I hear you calling? Nay, I did not hear: I was busy singing. But I would not call it chance, as the lovely Goldberry said, everything happens for a reason." Tom sang another little song and I opened my eyes slightly to see his silhouette outlined by the fire.  
"Tell us," Frodo said. "about the Willow-man. What is he? I have never heard of him before."  
"No, don't!" exclaimed Merry and Pippin simultaneously. "Not now! Not until morning." I nodded my head in agreement. Tom led us back to our room I snuggled into my bed. Down pillows and blankets of white wool.  
"Worry not daughter of Manwe," I heard Tom murmur from the door as I drifted off. "No nightmare shall haunt you here."

Waking suddenly in the middle of the night I looked to see what the disturbance was. Pippin stood at my bedside wide eyed.  
"I-I-I dreamt that willow had me!" I smiled and let him in under the covers.  
"Now, now little brother. T'was only a dream. Remember that nothing bad will get in here." He nodded and soon he fell back asleep, breathing deeply. Kels got up from her bed.  
"I'm going to check on the other three," she whispered as she slipped from the room. Closing my eyes and laying back down, I rolled over so I was facing the wall. The slow rhythm of Pippin's breathing lulled me back to sleep. I lost consciousness before Kels returned.

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**P.S. would you like us to make the chapters longer or are they a good size?**


	20. What it is like to die

**A/N: Ok, Please don't kill me! *hides behind shield* I am not going to make up an excuse, I forgot and that is that. I hope you enjoy the chapter and will forgive me for my tardiness if I bribe you with lembas *waves lembas in the air*. Anyway, On with the show!  
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**Disclaimer: We own nothing but the Ocs  
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Chapter Eighteen – What is it Like to Die?

Kels POV

Seph and I woke up at the same time the next morning; I had carried Pippin back to his own bed earlier. Goldberry was floating around the room and she broke out into a wide smile. Goldberry was indeed beautiful; no words could truly do her justice. Her hair was brighter than spun gold and her eyes were a deep cobalt blue, deeper than the oceans and yet brighter than the sun. Her skin was creamy and smooth, no blemishes marking it and her face, well, if she were a flower than all other flowers would appear to be dead in comparison. And the hobbits had said we were as fair as she! Not likely I must admit.  
"Good morning Goldberry!" Seph said sitting up. She placed a hand over her mouth and blushed slightly. "Sorry milady I spoke out of turn." Goldberry's laugh tinkled through the air and she opened the yellow curtains.  
"Worry not daughter of Manwe, I would prefer that you called me by my name." Smiling I slid out of bed. Looking out of the window I giggled.  
"Looks like it's gonna rain," I said merrily.  
"Typical British weather!" Seph and I said simultaneously and we began to laugh merrily.  
"It is time for breakfast," said Goldberry in a singsong voice. "You may change into the dresses I have provided."  
Quickly sliding into the golden on the foot of my bed, Seph and I pattered down the corridor barefoot to get to the dining room.

Tom and Goldberry were not present but the hobbits were already there, eating their way through the food on the table.  
"I hope you left us some!" I joked, ruffling Frodo's hair as I walked past. As we ate we could hear Tom crashing around in the kitchen and singing loudly as he went about his daily chores. The window looked out over the valley and we could see the rain falling and the rivulets of water trailing down the window. Goldberry came floating in, singing a rain song.  
"Hello my little lilies," she said in a sing song voice as she walked past. "I do doubt that the rain will ease up any time soon," and with that she walked past and floated out.

After we had finished our meal, Tom came trotting in from outside and grinned.  
"This is Goldberry's washing day," he said, "and her autumn cleaning. Too wet for hobbit-folk and pretty little lilies - let them rest while they are able! It's a good day for long tales, for questions and for answers, so Tom will start talking." Shaking her head Seph turned to me.  
"First blessed ones, then daughters of Manwe and now lilies? Soon it's going to be the lilies of Manwe! What did I do wrong?" I snorted and grinned at her.  
"What we did wrong, dear sister, was use that soap yesterday." We both chuckled. The effects of the soap hadn't worn off and I was beginning to wonder if it ever would. Not that I really wanted it to of course. We turned back to Tom who was telling remarkable stories. Often he would break out into song, get out of his chair and dance. He told us of bees and flowers (lilies made a repeat appearance), the ways of the trees, ents, evil things and good things, things friendly and things unfriendly and tales of the forest that surrounded us. Tom continued talking but I got up to get some food. Seph immediately stood behind me and followed me out.  
"Kels," she whispered. "I've been thinking about what Goldberry said last night."  
"As have I."  
"When we reach Rivendell we have to join the fellowship." I raised an eyebrow and nodded for her to continue. "Goldberry says that we have a part to play in this war. I doubt that it involves sitting idly in Rivendell, waiting for the battle to come to us." I nodded and smiled at her.  
"We can't let our little brothers and lost sisters go on their own either, I am most certainly not letting them have all of the fun." I pointed out. Giving me a crooked smile, Seph grabbed a cookie from the countertop and headed back to the living room.

I came back in to hear Tom talking about his age.  
"Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn."  
"Wow, that's pretty darn old," muttered Seph half-heartedly from her place in the armchair where she was half asleep.  
"Indeed," replied Tom chuckling. "You too are older than you think."  
"So I'm not a nineteen year old with anger issues?" she asked, opening one eye. The hobbits and I burst out laughing and Tom grinned.  
"Aye, neither you nor your sisters are quite what you seem." I raised an eyebrow.  
"So I'm not an eighteen year old with the mental age of a five year old?" I asked, cocking my head to one side.  
"You are in this life," he winked. "But in your previous life you were something else entirely."  
"Well that's comforting," said Seph, standing up. Her ears pricked slightly and we turned to see Goldberry in the doorway, candle in hand.  
"The rain has ended," she said.  
_In other words its stopped raining. Why can't people speak normally?_

The rest of the day passed without much to report. We slept better that night, no hobbits came to us (much to Seph's relief) and we rose bright and early. Light filtered in through the open curtains and bathed the room in a golden glow. Breakfast was eaten in relative silence; Goldberry and Tom were off somewhere so we were left alone to eat our meals. I watched as Seph found our travelling clothes and lay them out on our beds. Sliding the silky dress up over my head I changed back into the slightly rougher material of our hunting clothes and packed all of my things. Walking outside we moved to the top of a small hill where Tom, Goldberry and the hobbits were already waiting for us. My heart felt slightly sad as we turned to bid farewell to our lovely hosts. The hobbits stood in silent awe as they were given food to eat and partings were exchanged. Seph looked slowly around, face melancholy.  
"I fear we will never see this place again..."  
"I know," I whispered back and nudged her arm, trying to coax a smile out of her but failing. A solitary tear trailed down her cheek and she wiped it away on the back of her hand.  
"Sweet lily, cry not..." Goldberry floated over and smiled at her. "You are free to visit again when you wish." Seph nodded, putting on a brave smile. I felt lost, I felt so at home here. I began to sob and I closed my eyes. I felt Seph put her arms around me and mutter soothingly in elvish.  
"_Hebo estel. Tolo hi, no thalion. _Have hope. Come now, be strong," She tipped my head up to look at her and smiled "All will be well," she whispered, ruffling my hair. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned. Goldberry stood, smiling sweetly down at me, golden

hair dancing in the faint breeze.  
"To remember us." She took a necklace from her pocket and placed it around my neck, the pendant was a golden lily with a diamond inset in the centre. I hugged her in thanks and she smiled down at me. She moved over to Seph and removed a second pendant from her pocket. This lily was in a golden cage.  
"For you, lily of the wild. To help you remember that one day, someone will open the cage around your heart and see who you truly are." Seph snorted and shook her head.  
"Like that's gonna happen, but thanks anyway." Goldberry gave her an affectionate smile like a mother would and kissed her forehead before placing a kiss on my own.  
"Off you head. Journey safely!" we began off and I watched until they were small specks in the distance.

Walking over the hills with the sun on our backs was calming. We sang slightly as we made our way over the smooth grassy plains on our way to the road which would lead us to Bree.  
"_The hills are alive with the sound of music,_" Seph sang sweetly, her voice filling the air with music.  
"_With songs they have sung for a thousand years, _  
_The hills fill my heart with the sound of music, _  
_And my heart wants to sing every song it hears._"  
I laughed and punched her arm lightly.  
"How you can still remember that song is beyond me." She shook her head and laughed causing her curls to bounce.  
"I have a thousand different musical soundtracks on my iPod dummy." The hobbits began to laugh and Frodo slipped his small hand into mine.  
"Please sing again," he begged, giving Seph his best puppy dog face. She laughed at his efforts and ruffled his hair.  
"Sure thing ringo."  
After Seph had sung almost the entire Sound of Music soundtrack and sung 'Dancing through Life' from Wicked we sat down and ate our fill of berries and honey comb from the supplies. We got up and continued on but somewhere in the middle of it we fell asleep. I woke up surrounded by stones in a small hollow. Mist covered the ground in a thick white blanket and the whole place was eerily quiet. Seph sat up next to me and rubbed her eyes.  
"We appear to have a mysterious tendency to wake up in unfamiliar places with no memory of how we got there," She muttered as she pulled herself up. I chuckled and grabbed her hand as she pulled me up. Seph turned to Frodo and shook him awake. Sam also awoke relatively easily; he obviously didn't want Seph throwing water on him again. Pippin and Merry were another story entirely. They would not budge, not an inch, not half an inch. They were completely and totally oblivious to all of our efforts and slept on. Seph stood over the two of them and began to create a growling noise in her throat, slowly getting louder until it filled the small hollow. Pippin and Merry began to roll and squirm, uncomfortable with the animalistic noise she was making. Seph stopped and winked at me before letting out a screech, similar to that of the ring wraiths who had been following us. The two hobbits leaped sky high and it took several minutes for me to convince them that there was, in fact, no ringwraiths nearby. We soon headed off with Seph teaching Pippin how to screech like a ringwraith. The mist slowly became thicker until you could hardly see twenty feet in front of yourself. We had to walk single file; holding onto the person in front's garments so we didn't get lost. Large pillars of stone rose out of the fog and it began to feel like they were closing in on us, trapping us.

The mist slowly became colder and damper and my hair hung dripping down my back and my fringe was plastered to my forehead. Seph was constantly cursing as the hobbits tripped and fell over invisible stones. I hoped that we would reach the road soon and that we would not be stuck out here. I took hold of my pendant and prayed feverishly to Manwe or whatever God was there to listen that we would not die.  
"Where's Frodo?" I turned to see that Frodo had indeed vanished.  
"I'll go look for him." Sam ran off into the mist and Seph shook her head.  
"We need to stay together!" But it was too late; Pippin had already run off with Merry close on his heels.  
"I feel dizzy," Seph whispered. "I must be delirious." I nodded as my head span and we stumbled onwards. I saw a shape that looked like a doorway and ran ahead but it was just more rock.  
"Well that was-" I turned to my horror to find that Seph was gone. The fog was now so thick that I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. I tumbled over a rock and scraped the palms of my hands on the rough surface.  
"SEPH!" I yelled, getting up and stumbling on.  
"SEPH?"  
"Kels?" The voice sounded far away but I knew it was her.  
"SEPH!" I screamed running forwards. Suddenly another cry rang shrill through the air.  
"Help! Help!" It sounded strangely like Pippin.  
"Hel-" The voice was cut off and I screamed for Seph again, terror flooding my body. Tears stung my eyes as I ran on, desperate to find my sister. I stopped as I reached the top of a hill. The temperature had dropped and an icy wind was biting at my face. Wrapping my arms around my body for warm I felt tears slide down my cheeks, freezing in their place.  
"S-S-Seph..." I said, teeth chattering. "Where are you?" I closed my eyes and not for the first time I wished I was back in Bag-End.

Opening my eyes I was shocked to see a dark clad figure standing in front of me but I was too cold to care. He touched my shoulder and ice seemed to creep into my bones, through my veins and into my very soul. The edges of my vision began to go black. My head pounded and the world around me span.  
_So this is what it is like to die..._  
I closed my eyes and I remembered no more.

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**A/N: Dun dun DUN! Cliffhanger! I thought of adding more but I'm so changeable ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed and please review, constructing criticism is welcome.  
**

**P.S. Please please please please please don't kill me *offers lembas*! I can assure you that Finn didn't make it.  
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	21. A Small World

**A/N: Thanks for all the support, it is really appreciated. We have had some requests for pictures of the character so Maddie will work on those I will upload the link when they are done ;)**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing but the Ocs**

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Chapter Nineteen – It's a Small World

Seph's POV

The last thing I remembered was running over the rocky plains surrounded by mist and screaming for Kels. A Barrow-wight wraithy thing had just appeared in front of me. I found out something very interesting on that day, barrow-wights have the same little problem as most men and will react if you kick them where the sun doesn't shine. Sadly another one caught me from behind and ruined my entire mental ninja escape plan.  
That is the last thing I remember.

Next thing I know I'm awake with Tom Bombadil standing over with a smile that was so wide that my mouth hurt for him. Looking down at myself I saw that I was clothed in silvery white robes and was wearing a large range of gold jewellery. I was lying on a grassy hill, a gaping hole leading into an underground cavern (presumably the home of the wraiths that captured us). Kels sat up beside me in the same state of dress. Sam was running around franticly looking for his real clothes. Pippin and Merry were doing the same thing. Tom laughed at them before explaining that we would not find our clothes again and should run along naked. I got up and jumped back into the Barrow cave and was relieved to find that our packs were there, untouched. I slung mine over my shoulder before discarding all of my jewellery (except Goldberry's necklace which they had let me keep because it was gold) and changed into a white and grey hunting suit that was lying in the corner. Coming out of the hole I was fairly horrified and amused to see that the hobbits had quite obviously taken Tom's advice to heart and were running around in their birthday suits. Kels had turned around and I threw another hunting suit at her, one of the boots hitting her head.

By the time the sun rose we had forced the hobbits into clothes and were desperately hoping that they stayed in their garments. Tom soon returned with some food for us.  
"Thank you Tom for the food." He laughed gaily and picked up his bag.  
"Well old Tom must be off soon! Goldberry is waiting." I got up and placed the spare food in my bag. For each of the hobbits he chose a small dagger set with fiery stones of various colours.  
"For you free spirit," he said, stepping towards Kels and in her hand he placed a long elvish sword. The blade was slightly curved and the hilt was in the shape of an eagle. Amber, topaz and other gems were set in the metal and it gleamed in the light of the sun.  
"This sword was forged back in the ancient days when man and beast lived in harmony, the spirit of the great eagle Kano-nim is forever preserved within this blade. He will guide you through battle and will remain with you until the end." He turned and moved onto me.  
"For you wild fea." He placed a quiver over my shoulder and attached the bow to it. "As long as you trust, your aim will never fail you." He then took out a pair of elvish mithril knives. They were curved with hilts of a wolf. Emeralds and Sapphires were set into the blades and the blue binding on the hilt looked soft and easy to grip.  
"These knives, like the blade of you friend, contain the spirit of an ancient creature. Within your blades is the spirit of Heleg-rana, the last of the pure wolves. All of his kin were captured by Morgoth and were tortured until they became cruel creatures - wargs. He released his spirit into these blades so that he may see the darkness fall and help all that he can. It will take a person with immense strength, inside and out to wield these blades. I think that you are the perfect person to do so."

He placed the blades in my hands and I immediately felt the power of the fea fill me, it was a warmth that spread through my limbs and filled me with strength, carefully I slid them into the scabbards that hung at my side. Looking up I watched as Tom handed Kels what appeared to a be a quarterstaff with deer carved onto the grip and spikes protruding from the end. I was handed a rapier with a bear carved into the handle.  
"These weapons are not for your own use, they are for the use of two very close to you. All will be revealed in good time." And with that, Tom turned on his heel and ran away over the grassy hills. Huffing and readjusting my bag on my shoulder I set off with the hobbits close at my heels. It took a while but soon we reached the road that would lead us to Bree. The heavens above us opened and rain began to fall from the sky, relentlessly soaking us again and again. The cloak did no good and I was soaked to the bone by the time we reached the old wooden gates that stood outside Bree. Knocking lightly on the door, Frodo waited until it was opened by a haggard old man who was only slightly drier than we were.  
"Hobbits, four hobbits, and out of the Shire by your talk." I heard him say, paying no attention to Kels and I at all. "What business brings ya' to Bree?"

"We come to stay at the inn, our business is our own," said Frodo as the gatekeeper let them through, not even noticing as Kels and I crept in behind him. We walked up into the town, the mud sticking to my boots and the rain pounding on my back like it was trying to break all of the bones in my body. We quickly dodged through the crowd and into the prancing pony. As Frodo booked our rooms I looked surveyed the overcrowded room and spotted the man I was looking for. He was sitting in the corner like the last time we had met, his hood drawn over his face and a pipe was in his mouth, the burning tobacco faintly glowing. Kels went to take her hood down and I stilled her hand.  
"The chances of him recognising us are slim Kels," I whispered into her ear. "But I would prefer not to take the chance." She nodded and brought her hand back down.

We placed ourselves at a small table and Frodo bought us each a half pint of ale. I slowly sipped mine and watched Aragorn out of the corner of my eye. To all others he would appear relaxed but I could tell that his body was tense, ready to spring at the slightest need.  
Suddenly, Merry arrived back at the table and placed a massive flask of ale on the table before sitting down and observing it greedily.  
"What's that?" asked Pippin, eyes widening dramatically.  
"This my friend is a pint." Pippin's eyes widened further.  
"It comes in pints?" he asked and Merry nodded as he drank some of his ale.  
"I'm getting one," Pippin said, nodding his head in finality and leaping up.  
"You've had a whole half already!" complained Sam but Pippin was already gone.

I watched Aragon carefully as Sam pointed him out to Frodo. Kels leant close to my ear and whispered.  
"Not much longer." I nodded slightly and took another sip of my ale.  
"Excuse me," said Frodo, stopping Butterbur. "That man in the corner, who is he?" Butterbur peered over his shoulder before looking back quickly.  
"He's one of them rangers. Dangerous folk they are, wandering the wilds. What his right name is I never heard but round here he's known as Strider." As Butterbur walked off I watched Aragorn for any sign that he had heard.  
"Baggins?" I snapped my head up and leapt from my seat to stop Pippin. "Sure I know a Baggins. He's over there!" the drunken hobbit continued. "Frodo Baggins." As Pippin began to explain the family tree I heard Frodo cry out for him to stop. I knew that Strider was watching and I watched as well as Frodo fell backwards and the ring landed on his finger. In a flash, he was gone causing people to gasp. Frodo reappeared under a table and Aragorn dragged him from the room. Kels appeared next to me and we bounded silently up the stairs on their heels. Kels and I slid into the room unnoticed and Aragorn threw Frodo to the floor.  
"What do you want?" Frodo asked, voice wavering and I wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was alright.  
"A little more caution from you," Aragorn said, striding in. "That is no trinket you carry."  
"I carry nothing," replied Frodo and Aragorn turned towards the window. Kels touched Frodo's shoulder, alerting him of our presence and he calmed somewhat. We then hid under two of the four beds in the room.  
"Indeed," Aragorn muttered as he began to put out the candles. "I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely," he said turning around and throwing back his hood. "That is a rare gift."

I watched amused as Kels' jaw practically dropped to the floor when she first saw his face. His features were well defined; he had a long straight nose and grey-blue eyes. He obviously hadn't shaved recently and his dark hair was slightly tangled. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way. A better looking version of Viggo Mortensern. Motioning for Kels to move behind him I shuffled so I was in line with the door.  
"Who are you?" asked Frodo, a hard steel in his voice.  
"Are you frightened?" asked Aragorn in a mocking tone.  
"Yes," he replied, looking down.  
"Not nearly frightened enough, I know what hunts you." Aragorn began to advance when a loud noise outside the room caused him to turn and pull out his sword. The three hobbits burst through the door holding an assortment of useless household items while Sam screamed bloody murder. Aragorn slid his sword back into his sheath.  
"You have a stout heart little hobbit but that will not save you."  
"But this will," said Kels as she placed her sword across his throat. He smiled and turned catching her sword with his own. He grabbed her shoulder and pushed back her hood revealing her face. I leapt from my spot on the floor and roundhouse kicked Aragorn in the spine so that he toppled over as Kels stepped out of the way. She placed a foot on his sword and pointed her own one at his heart. I pulled back my hood and let my curls tumble down my back.  
"It has been a very long time Aragorn," I said flashing him a wolfish grin. "You have not changed much, though you did have your hood on the entire way through our last meeting."  
Nodding to Kels she sheathed her blade and offered him a hand which he rudely declined as he stood up and brushed himself off.  
"I recognise neither of you," he said, glaring at us as he leant down and picked up his sword from the floor. I laughed merrily and fingered the hilt of one of my knives.  
"Well I admit we are no longer the small elflings we were when we first saw you. We came here with a strange story, a story of another world. Do you really, truly not remember us?"  
A look of realisation crossed his features.  
"Well, it's a small world after all."

Aragorn's POV

I sat in my usual position, corner bench with one foot up on a stool. I had been waiting here every day for the last week waiting for the hobbits that Gandalf said would come this way. He mentioned something about companions but I mainly ignored that part. I was about to turn in for the night when the door opened and four hobbits entered with two, taller companions. The first hobbit matched the description that Mithrandir had provided me with and I watched as they took their places at a small table. They were all wary but the shorter of the two tall companions acted differently. He was surveying the room as if looking for someone, possible threats and shuffled closer to the dark haired hobbit.

I watched their conversation carefully, trying to find out any information possible. The hobbits talked little and the two companions said nothing, both now on high alert. I watched amused as the dark haired one, Frodo Baggins wasn't it, asked the old innkeeper who I was. The shadowy companions conversed in a soft whisper, too quiet for even me to hear.  
'Baggins?" I tensed slightly as one of the hobbits began to give them away. The shorter of the companions lept up and ran towards him. I didn't bother watching him; it was Frodo I was worried about. I rose quickly as he tripped over a stray shoe and fell onto his back, the ring flying into the air and landing on his finger causing him to disappear. A quick scan of the room showed me where he was. He reappeared, gasping for air. Striding forward I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him from under the table and pinned him against the wall.  
"You draw too much attention to yourself Mr Baggins," I hissed before dragging him up the stairs and into a bedroom, closing the door behind us.  
"What do you want?" the hobbit asked and I huffed.  
"A little more caution from you! That is no trinket you carry." I thought I heard a slight scuffling but I ruled it off as a mouse.  
"I carry nothing." He replied and I turned to put out the candles.  
"Indeed." Having removed all light from the room but that which filtered in through the window, I straightened myself.  
"I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift," I said as I threw back my hood and turned to Frodo.  
"Who are you?" he asked, voice steely, and I admired his courage.  
"Are you frightened?" I mocked slightly and he nodded his head and muttered a yes in reply.  
"Not nearly frightened enough, I know what hunts you."

A tremendous noise sounded from the corridor outside and I drew my sword. The other three hobbits burst into the room bearing objects that would clearly be of no use in a real fight.  
"You have a stout heart little hobbit," I said sheathing my blade, "but that will not save you."  
"But this will," said a voice behind me and a curved elvish sword appeared at my throat. I smiled gently; they would have to do better than that. I turned quickly unsheathing my blade and the figure in front of me easily parried. I grabbed his shoulder and threw back the hood revealing something I did not expect to see – a woman.  
Her hair was chocolate brown and plaited, her features were smooth, all in proportion. Her eyes seemed slightly familiar, a dark woody brown with flecks of gold dotted around, they were different to almost all eyes I had ever seen, and I could not place where I had seen them before but I was certain that I had. Two pointed ears protruded from her head - so she is an elleth. A smug smile suddenly stole across her face and I didn't have time to react as a kick with an incredible amount of force behind it slammed into my spine and knocked me to the ground. I turned over and watched as the second figure threw back their hood revealing that they were also female. She was shorter than her companion; her hair was long and curly, caramel and golden in colour. She had a wolfish grin on her face and her cobalt blue eyes stared at me, mirth filling them. The brunette placed her boot on my sword and pointed her own at my beating heart, the other bent down.  
"It has been a very long time Aragorn." I froze, how did they know my name? "You have not changed much, though you did have your hood on the entire way through our last meeting."

The short one nodded and the brunette released my sword, sheathed her own and offered her hand to help me up. I stared at the thin pale fingers for a moment before brushing the appendage away and standing up.  
"I recognise neither of you." I glared harshly. The shorter one stared back with a faintly amused expression but the brunette shrank back slightly, pain at my brutality clear in her eyes. I wanted to apologise, she looked so innocent, doe-eyes wide and slightly sad as I retrieved my sword from its place on the floor. The short one laughed and shook her head, playing with the hilt of her knives.  
"Well I admit that we are no longer the small elflings we were when we first saw you. We came here with a strange story, a story of another world." Her eyes softened and she gave me a crooked smile.  
"Do you really, truly not remember us?"

*_flashback*_  
_A small brunette elfling in strange clothes wandered up to my table. "Hello!"_

_Her caramel haired friend gave her annoyed expression as she listed off the reasons why you shouldn't talk to strangers. _

_"Aragorn?" the brunette asked. She knew my name._  
_…_  
_They tell me their names and explain what happened_  
_…_  
_"You're her favourite character you know," Seph said with a wink before running off to join Kels._  
_*flashback ends*_

A look of realisation passed over my face and I began to laugh quietly.  
"Well, it's a small world after all," I said smiling slightly.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! They survived! YAY!**

**P.S. R&R please!**


	22. Muddy, Wet Marsh

**A/N: I am so sorry for taking this long! Homework has been absolutely crazy as we just came back from our half term holiday. We hope that you will forgive us.**

**Disclaimer: We no own, you no sue**

**P.S. a link for the song Seph sings is here, it is called 'wild mountain thyme'**

** watch?v=nBrOLYrIDmI**

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Chapter Twenty – A Muddy, Wet Marsh

Kels POV

I sat silently by the window as we waited for the nazgul to come. The hobbit's lay sleeping on the bed and Aragorn sat, back to me in a chair by the window staring intently at the room which the hobbits had booked. A shrill cry filled the air and I covered my ears against the terrible noise. The sound in the movie never prepared me for this. It was like the shouts of a thousand dying men, it was like death itself filled the room when they screamed. I closed my eyes and pulled my knees up to my chest and rocked back and forth. A pair of thin, strong arms wrapped around me and I leant back into Seph's chest.  
"It is alright. I am here," she whispered and I could hear her muttering encouraging words. Aragorn turned and his eyes locked with mine. They were silvery grey filled with a depth of emotion and knowledge I doubt I will ever have.  
"Are you well little one?" I gave half smile and removed my hands from my ears.  
"I'm not that short Aragorn, Seph is the short one," he laughed and I felt Seph tense slightly.  
"One more comment about my height and I am going to gut you from throat to abdomen and feed your innards to the nazgul for breakfast.," she hissed.  
"You wouldn't do that."  
"Try me." I knew she was smiling though and I could hear her laughing.  
"Your friend is amusing," Aragorn commented, turning back to the window.  
_"_If we were not sisters she would have gutted me on the spot. All hail the man who can insult her and get away with it (other than the hobbits of course)."  
"Milady, I somehow doubt that," Aragorn said.  
"Really?" asked Seph and turned me around. "I don't think you would hear that from most of the men I have met."  
"You would not do that to a man," Aragorn insisted but he was beginning to look unsure.  
"Aragorn, Trust me on this one and just don't upset her," I said and Aragorn shook his head slightly before staring out of the window again.

Suddenly, the screech of nazgul filled my ears and I felt my heart contract. It felt like my head was splitting in two. I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered prayers in elvish. I felt Seph tense beside me and her own hands rose to cover her sensitive ears.  
"They found the decoys," whispered Seph.  
_"_Well naw, they just get angry like that for no reason,"I spat back, keeping my eyes tightly shut.  
"Wow, you are in a terrible mood!" she joked lightly through gritted teeth.  
"Ten points for that astute observation."  
Opening my eyes I saw the hobbits jolt awake.  
"What are they?" asked Frodo quietly.  
"They were once men," Aragorn said, "- great kings of men." I watched him intently as he continued to talk. "Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question and one by one, fell into darkness."

I gave a slight shiver and Seph put a gentle arm around my shoulder and squeezed.  
"Now they are slaves to his will," I concluded, looking up to see Aragorn staring at me again. He nodded slightly before shifting his position to be fully facing the hobbits.  
"They are the Nazgul, ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the ring, drawn to the power of the one. They will never stop hunting you." The hobbits were all shivering and I removed my boots and sword, climbing into the bed. They all snuggled up and I saw Seph smile as she began to sing an Irish lullaby that we always sang back in the Shire.

_"Oh, the Summertime is a coming_  
_And the trees are sweetly blooming_  
_And the wild mountain thyme blooms along the purple heather_  
_Will ye go, lassie, go? And we will all go together_  
_To pull wild mountain thyme from around the purple heather_  
_Will ye go, lassie, go?_

_I shall build my love a bower near yon pure crystal fountain_  
_And in it I shall pile all the flowers of the mountain._  
_Will ye go, lassie, go? And we will all go together_  
_To pull wild mountain thyme from around the purple heather_  
_Will ye go, lassie, go?_

_Well if my true love will not go, I shall surely find another_  
_Who'll pull wild mountain thyme from around the purple heather_  
_Will ye go, lassie, go? And we will all go together_  
_To pull wild mountain thyme from around the purple heather_  
_Will ye go, lassie, go?"_

The gentle breathing of the hobbits beside me indicated that they had fallen asleep. Seph rarely had nightmares anymore but she still feared that she might. However, she would need all of the sleep possible for the upcoming days. She sat in the chair across from the bed and rested her head back, a satisfied smile on her lips as the two of us drifted off into the land of dreams.

***  
I woke early the next morning, just as the first rays of dawn were touching the sky, to see Aragorn still staring out of the window and the hobbits still asleep. The chair that had housed Seph was now empty. The door creaked open and I watched as she pattered in with a several bags of food hanging over her shoulders.  
"I have the supplies," she whispered to Aragorn and he nodded as I stood from the bed.  
"Get them up, we leave immediately." There was a short rush as we got the hobbits up, collected our things and headed outside.  
"We need a horse," muttered Aragorn as he walked through the town in search of a suitable animal. I however headed straight around the back of the inn to the stables. Most of the stalls were empty as the horses had been scared away by the nazgul but there was one stall which caught my attention. Inside was none other than Thor. Turning quickly to the stable boy I paid him and removed our large stallion from his small stall. Thor nuzzled at my neck affectionately and I rubbed a hand over his head. I lead him around the front to where Aragorn stood with a forlorn and sickly little pony which had been loaded with our supplies. Seph ran over and threw her arms around Thor's neck, laughing into the thin fur that covered him.

Aragorn's eyebrows shot up as he looked at the horse.  
"And how did you come by such a fine beast? I could find no other horse that would be sold other than this one." Seph laughed and fed Thor a carrot from the supply pack.  
"He is our horse, we rode him here on the day we first met you." She laughed gently. "He doesn't look a day older. That would be Gandalf's doing though." I moved some of the packs onto Thor and smiled at Aragorn.  
"Off we head then, I would hate to miss a single moment of the mud that is to come." He flashed me a smirk before taking Bill's reigns and heading off towards the hills that lay behind the village of Bree.

"Well then, come on."

As we walked through the trees after Aragorn, Frodo became increasingly nervous. The hobbits tripped over various roots while Seph and I leapt along in the branches hanging above.  
"Where are you taking us?" Frodo questioned, trying to keep up with Aragorn.  
"Into the wild," he whispered, before hurrying off again. Aragorn kept a stern expression on his face as he strode ahead of us, sniffing the air every once in a while. I leapt down next to him as we walked with Seph taking the rear, leading Thor, to make sure none of the hobbits fell behind or became lost in the thick brush.  
"How do we know this strider is a friend of Gandalf?" whispered Merry, a sound I easily picked up with my enhanced hearing.  
"I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer but feel fouler." Frodo whispered and I heard Seph snort lightly.  
"He's foul enough." muttered Merry and I turned to look at Aragorn. He looked slightly miffed and I realised that he had heard their conversation. I placed a hand daintily over my mouth to prevent myself from laughing which made Aragorn turn to me with a slight scowl on his face.  
"But where is he leading us?" I heard Sam ask no one in particular. Aragorn smirked and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.  
"To Rivendell master Gamgee, the house of Elrond." Seph burst into fits of laughter and I turned to see the hobbits expressions as they realised that he had heard them. Sam however was staring wistfully into the distance with a smile on his face.  
"Did you hear that? Rivendell! We're going to see the elves!" I smiled fondly and dropped back so that I was walking beside Frodo.  
"Worry not, you can trust him little brother." Looking back up at Aragorn I saw him throw a thankful smile over his shoulder before it was replaced by his usual emotionless expression. It was a shame, he looked nice when he smiled. Smiles always made a person seem more alive and kinder.

We walked through the rain that began to pour down on us and the hobbits were soon shivering, their bare feet scraping on the sharp rocks hidden in the dry grass. The rain soon turned to snow and I kept Sam and Frodo under my cloak, sharing my warmth, while Seph took care of Pippin and Merry. We continued all through the night, had a short breakfast at dawn and started walking again.

"Hey Aragorn." He turned around to look at me.  
"Aye."  
"Why so serious?" he raised an eyebrow and turned back.  
"This is not something that should be taken lightly."  
"Yes," Butted in Seph, who walked up beside me, Thor in tow. "But you are lowering the already dreary mood of everyone here and it is not doing anything for morals." Aragorn just shook his head and increased the pace. Glaring at his back Seph leant down and formed a snowball in her hands. Aragorn was a way off but we all trusted her aim. She flung the snowball and we all watched as it sailed through the air and smacked Aragorn on the back of his head. He whipped around to find us all doubled over in laughter. His face went red, not from anger but from embarrassment.  
"Who threw that?" he asked and a smile spread across Seph's face as the two of us stood up.  
"Catch me if you can!" She yelled, leaping up a tree. Aragorn threw several snowballs but they all missed her. I picked up my own one and threw it. I was rewarded with a thunk as it hit Seph.  
"Whose side are you on?" she yelled as she dodged the icy projectiles. A genuine smile split across Aragorn's face and he laughed lightly as Seph jumped down from the tree, throwing a snowball at me as she went. It hit me square in the chest and I laughed. We continued like that, the hobbits throwing snowballs at anything that moved, until we were rather tired.  
I dropped to the ground exhausted and Seph walked over to Thor, muttering words in elvish.  
The hobbits stopped and began to unpack the cooking supplies from Bill, gaining a bemused expression from Seph.

"Gentlemen," Aragorn announced, a slight smile still on his face. "We do not stop 'till nightfall."  
"What about breakfast?" asked Pippin.  
"You've already had it," Aragorn said with a look of confusion.  
"We've had one yes, what about second breakfast?" protested Pippin like he had just won the whole argument. Aragorn just gave him a funny look and started walking again. Seph and I came up beside him, smiles on our faces.  
"I sometimes forget that not all societies have second breakfast," I commented randomly.  
"Well I was never a fan of second breakfast, I was normally either hunting or just outside when it was happening," Seph added. Aragorn stared at us both with raised eyebrows.  
"You know about their eating habits?"  
"Of course, we've lived with them for the last five years. They are little brothers to us," Seph said fondly, reaching into one of Thor's saddle bags and pulling out an two apples. She threw one over her shoulder, closely followed by the second which hit Pippin in the head.  
"So you have lived with them?" asked Aragorn, clearly interested.  
"That is what we said is it not? It has been fun. Seph liked to cause a bit of trouble though." She chuckled and nudged my arm.  
"But you were always there to get me out of it." Aragorn laughed and smiled at the both of us. I nudged him with my elbow and grinned up at him.  
"Keep smiling, it's a good look on you." Part of me realised what I had said and I felt my cheeks warm as I began to blush. I was saved, however, when Seph slung an arm around his shoulder and said, "Yeah, you're much more fun now than you were earlier."  
"Oh really?" he asked, dumping a pile of snow on her head.

The terrain soon became a marsh, muddy and wet with flies and midges everywhere. We all struggled to keep moving, weighed down by the water in our clothes and slightly preoccupied with the blood sucking insects that refused to leave the hobbits and Aragorn alone. Seph and I didn't have a problem with them, elf was clearly not a popular meal.  
"What do they eat, when they can't get hobbit?" wailed Merry as he slapped the flies away with his hand. Pippin fell over and got a mouth full of bog water. Seph quickly fished him out and put his shivering form up onto Thor's back. Dry ground was a welcome reprieve as we arrived at the other side. The sun had set and darkness had stolen over the camp. we stopped and Sam got a fire going as Aragorn went off to hunt. He came back with a deer slung over his shoulder and quickly got to work skinning it and cutting up strips. I placed a hand over my mouth in disgust and horror. Of course I had seen Seph skin a rabbit but this was different. Even Seph was pulling a slight face at it and put an arm around me when she noticed my unusually pale and slightly green pallor.

When our stomachs were filled we unrolled our bedrolls and lay down by the fire. Seph was lying next to the large sleeping form of Thor and I was lying up against a large mound of dirt. Aragorn had refused to let us take watch and had taken his place on a log next to the fire. He sang in a low, monotonous voice which drifted through the air. I could feel his eyes on my back and pretended to be asleep though I was actually wide awake.  
"Who is she?" I heard Frodo ask and I tensed. It was Arwen, I knew it. I sighed gently and plucked at the grass next to me. I had been foolish to hope that I could have possibly gotten close to him when it was blatantly obvious that he would never give a damn about me. I listened as Aragorn spoke to Frodo of the song. The story of an elf maiden who gave her love to a mortal man. Opening my eyes I saw Seph staring at me. She gave me a gentle smile and an air kiss before turning over to sleep. Following her example I closed my eyes and allowed my breathing to even out and slow as I too fell asleep.

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**A/N: I personally find it funny that they don't know about Arwen, but anyway, please R&R!**

**P.S. Here is the link, so far we only have the first picture up but the rest will follow in time!**

** art/Seph-358012238?q=gallery%3Aseph-the-awesome&qo=1**


	23. Eww I'm not Arwen

**A/N: I posted on time! RESULT!  
Okay, so this chapter reintroduces one of the canon characters in his proper place. I hope you enjoy this chapter which moves them along. And for all those who didn't** **the pictures (only one atm) they are on deviantart. My friends very inventive artist name is 'Seph-the-Awesome', don't ask me why.**

**Disclaimer: We only own the OCs**

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Eww... I'm not Arwen**  
**

Seph's POV

We awoke early the next morning and continued to walk across the high, dry and rocky plains until the sun was just beginning to lower in the sky above us. A large, broken down stone structure stood before us, abandoned.  
"This was the great watch tower of Amon Sul." muttered Aragorn. He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of us and smiled slightly. "We shall rest here tonight."  
We quickly made our way up the hill until we were in a large, sheltered cave. The hobbits dropped their packs on the floor and sat down, exhausted from the long trek. I slowly lowered myself down, letting out a happy sigh as the pressure on my legs was relieved. Kels stood, watching Aragorn as he stared out into the horizon. I felt sorry for her, she just wanted to help him. Kelly felt the need to be liked by everyone she met and though we had all exchanged small smiles, there was no indication that he actually liked us at all. He was only taking us along because we were with Frodo.  
"Do you have swords?" The ranger in question asked, turning around. The hobbits took out their knives and I moved aside my cloak to reveal my bow, knives and the rapier that had been given to me. Kels gestured to the sword at her side and the staff strapped across her back. Aragorn gave a firm nod and pulled up his hood.  
"I'm going to take a look around. Stay here." He turned and left, leaving me with an icy feeling of dread. The nazgul were close, I was certain of it. Wrapping my cloak further around myself I muttered that i would stand watch by the door. I walked through and sat myself on a large boulder, staring out across the dark landscape around us. We were completely isolated and there was no one that would hear us.

It was silent around except for the faint whispers of the hobbits through the doorway. The icy wind bit at my cheek and I gently rubbed my hands together, thankful for the faint warmth that the friction created.  
"What are you doing?" I heard Frodo say and leapt up, cursing silently. I burst through the doorway and was horrified to see the fire that they had created. Kels sat up straight, plait slightly messed from sleep and gasped.  
"Put it out you fools, put it out!" Frodo yelled and I leapt up beside him, stamping it out with one booted foot.  
"Well that's nice!" yelled Pippin loudly, his voice echoing across the landscape. "Ash on my tomatoes."  
Suddenly, a terrible screech filled the air and I grabbed Pip and Merry, dragging them behind me as I rushed up the steps. Kels ran past me after seeing the shapes of five nazgul making their way towards us through the thick mist the lay on the ground. We reached the platform at the top and the hobbits pulled out their small swords. Kels quickly pulled her sword from its scabbard and I grabbed my twin knives, spinning them in my hands. We all stood back to back, each facing the archways that surrounded us. Suddenly, out of the darkness appeared the figures of the ringwraiths, their black cloaks merging with the fog around us. THey each stepped through an arch and I bit my lip so hard that I felt a trickle of blood seep from the cut and dribble down my chin. They slowly made their way forwards simultaneously, the sound of their metal boots like the crashing of thunder. As they advanced we pushed the hobbits behind us, slowly backing away as we did so.  
"Back you devils!" yelled Sam, bravely hitting at the closest nazgul with the knife. The ringwraith whacked him across the head and he fell to the side, only partially conscious. Another wraith grabbed Pippin and Merry, throwing them roughly to the side. With a yell of anger I leapt forward, engaging the wraith in battle. His sword clashed down against my shining silver knives. I twisted quickly and lunged at him, cutting across his stomach. The nazgul screeched in pain and I slammed my sword down over its arm. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kels desperately battling a second nazgul. A piercing scream of pain filled the air around me and I turned to see a knife hovering in mid air. Frodo.

I heard a thump and turned to see Kels being thrown up against the wall. Her head cracked against it and she dropped to the ground, blood running down her face. Yelling in anger I sliced at the nazgul around me and was stunned as the light of fire covered the platform. Aragorn leapt down, swinging the torch and sword at the nazgul near him. He caught one with the torch and its cloak burst into flames. He dropped the torch as he went and I rolled, quickly picking it up before it went out and hitting the head of another wraith with one of my knives, the other dropped on the other side of the platform. The wraith I was fighting fled, running after the one that had been on fire. Another that Aragorn was against turned and ran towards me and I swung my knife at it, my limited knowledge with the weapon finally showing. As I fought, I caught a glimpse of the last of the nazgul coming up behind Aragorn with it's sword raised. Turning quickly I flung the torch. It flew through the air and embedded itself in the nazgul's head. It screamed and Aragorn turned, surprised that it was there and threw a questioning look at me.  
"Watch your own back Gorny!" I yelled as I parried the ringwraith and stabbed it in the chest. It turned and fled, closely followed by the one that Aragorn had been fighting. Turning slowly I saw the hobbits crowded around Frodo. Knowing in my heart that he was alright I let Aragorn tend to him and hurried over to where Kelly lay, unmoving.

Taking her wrist I could feel a strong pulse and heaved a sigh before ripping part of my undershirt and tying it around the cut on her head.  
"He has been stabbed by a Morgul blade." I heard Aragorn say. "This is beyond my skill to heal, he needs elvish medicine."  
I carefully wrapped my arms around Kels and lifted her up, bridal style. I quickly picked up my other knife and slid it into the other scabbard before hurrying down the steps. Aragorn was placing Frodo on Thor and the hobbits were all looking up at him sadly. I bit back the tears as I looked at Frodo's ghostly skin and heard him groaning. They had noticed neither Kels nor myself and I walked forward, past them all and towards Bill. Their eyes all snapped to Kels' limp form as I shifted my position to be more comfortable.  
"They will return, we must go now." I stated sullenly, all of my usual happiness drained. Aragorn looked up into my emotionless eyes as I turned and walked ahead.  
"Is she alright?" I heard Pippin ask, coming up beside me. Looking down I managed a small smile for his benefit. I truly did not know how she was but I assumed that she would wake up soon.  
"She just hit her head a bit too hard Pip." I whispered gently, my arms straining slightly against the weight of the taller and slightly heavier elleth.  
"I will carry her." I turned to see Aragorn next to me, the reigns for Thor in his right hand.  
"No." I whispered. "I will." I moved away from him to get away from his protests about my own health and kept walking. I had to be strong for the hobbits.

We travelled for several days, I know not how many for I did not have it in me to count but Kels had woken up on the second day and Frodo had grown steadily worse. I had not let Aragorn carry Kels at any point and my harshness clearly hurt him. We had arrived in the troll glade and Sam was talking to a very ill Frodo. Kels was keeping the other two company and I sat, facing away from camp and let my pain and anguish consume me.  
"Little one." My head snapped up and I glanced at Aragorn before staring back into the trees. He knelt beside me and took my chin in his hand.  
"It is not your fault."  
"Yes it is." I sniffled, a tear escaping my eye. "If I had just paid more attention..."  
"No." He stated simply, his grey eyes boring into mine. "You kept the nazgul at bay, you fought bravely despite your lack of knowledge with the weapon."  
"But..."  
"Don't interrupt. You saved my life, you carried your sister for two days straight and you stayed strong for the hobbits despite everything you were feeling. You are a very brave and talented young elleth, don't forget that." I gave him a small smile and threw my arms around his neck.  
"Thank you." I muttered into his shoulder. He nodded and pulled back, giving me a small smile. Looking past him I saw Kels grin at me.

"_Vous êtes tellement chanceux! _(You are so lucky!)" she yelled and I laughed.  
_"Demandez-lui un câlin. Je suis sûr qu'il aimerait._ (ask him for a hug. I am sure he would love to.)_" _She stuck her tongue out at me and I winked at Aragorn who stood with a confused expression on his face.  
"He's going cold!" exclaimed Sam and my head snapped up to where Frodo lay, dying. The call of a ringwraith filled my ears and I stood up, looking around. Frodo's strangled breathing grew labored and I looked up at Aragorn in desperation. I knew he would survive but... well there was always a chance something might go wrong. Sam and aragorn began to look around for athelas in the undergrowth that surrounded us and I knelt down by Frodo who stared back at me with blank eyes, the pupil all but gone.  
"Stay with me Frodo." I whispered, stroking a hand through his hair.  
"What's this?" came a low, velvety masculine voice. "A ranger caught off his guard?" Instead on the raven haired woman I had expected to see, a man with golden blond hair and pointed elven ears stood by Aragorn, his knife at his throat and a grin on his face. A snowy white horse stood at his side.  
"Glorfindel." Aragorn smiled.  
"Estel." The two hugged and I raised an eyebrow.  
"There is enough time for bromance later. There are more important matters at the moment." I stated and their heads snapped to looked me.  
"Lady Seph!" Glorfindel stated in surprise.  
"Since when did I know you bozo?" I asked and he smiled.  
"Worry not, you will find out in good time."  
"That is all I bloody hear these days, you are destined but I cannot tell you, you are special but I cannot tell you. And their bloody excuse is always 'you will find out in good time'" I snapped, turning back to Frodo.  
"He is fading, he is not going to last. We must get him to Elrond." Stated Glorfindel, kneeling beside me and lifting the hobbit up onto the horse.  
"I've been looking for you for two days." he stated, "There are five wraiths behind you."  
"We are already aware of that." stated Kels, coming up beside me. Glorfindel made to get on the horse but I stopped him.  
"I am lighter than the both of you. I will be able to ride faster." I whispered, low enough for the hobbits not to hear. Glorfindel looked me in the eye curiously. Aragorn grabbed my arm and turned me around.  
"You do not need to prove yourself to anyone."  
"No I do not, if they don't like the way I am then they will just have to deal with it. But if I ride then there will be more chance that he can be saved, though I must admit that I am terrified right now." He stared me straight in the eye and nodded, giving me a leg up onto the horse. Glorfindel came up beside me and whispered the words that would release the river.  
"It is straight East. When you get there, send horse and remember to get medical attention for yourself, you are almost dead on your feet." said Kels, coming up beside me. "Stay safe."  
"Always." I squeezed her hand when Aragorn grabbed my arm.  
"I will always consider you a friend." he said with a smile and I smiled back with a nod.  
"And I, you." I kicked Asfaloth into life and galloped off into the trees.  
"What are you doing?" I heard Sam yell after me. "Those riders are still out there." my stomach churned slightly as I watched the trees rush past. I burst from the treeline and shot off over the grassy slopes before me, Frodo lay, head lolling against my chest with constant groans of pain coming from him. I kept my breathing in time with the pounding of the horses hooves on the dry terrain. I recognised this place from when we had first headed headed from the woods of Rivendell to Bree. Fir trees slowly appeared around me and the forest began to thicken. I looked quickly to my side and saw one of the riders. I faced forward again and struggled to keep my breathing even. I rode quickly along the worn path, the five riders all behind me, screaming at my to give Frodo to them.  
"Never." I hissed. "As long as I draw breath I will protect you Frodo." I vowed. Quickly glancing over my shoulder as I spotted all nine of the nazgul on my tail, not just the five that I had anticipated. In the distance I saw the river, appearing through a gap between two large boulders, glistening in the sunlight. I felt rather like Arwen, a feeling I would rather never repeat.  
"Faster Asfaloth! Faster!" I yelled as the nazgul began to gain on me. Our pace quickened slightly and I watched as the glistening water came ever closer. I dodged around the trees and grinned as Asfaloth ran into the shallow water of the river. We quickly cantered across and I stopped, turning to look at the nazgul which had stopped by the opposite shore.  
"Give up the halfling, she elf." the nazgul rasped. Flashing him a fake smile I pulled out one of my knives, my other hand keeping Frodo steady.  
"Nope, sorry. You'll just have to come and get him bub." The nazgul gave a shriek of rage and they rode slowly into the water. I gently whispered the words that Glorfindel had told to me, my elvish slightly cracked as I struggled to remember the exact words. The water level rose slightly and a roaring sound could be heard. I turned and watching in amazement as a tsunami of white foamy water came rushing towards them. I could see horses and their riders in the water, slamming into the ringwraiths and sweeping them away.

Frodo gave a pained gasp and I slid my knife back into the scabbard, turning and shooting off into the forest. I rode until the forest began to open up into a large valley. Waterfalls fell down the edges and the most beautiful place I had ever set eyes on lay before me. I galloped over the bridge and the guards at the gate saw me coming. They swung open the large doors and I rode straight into a large and beautiful courtyard. The sight was lost on me as my heart beat only in fear for Frodo.  
"Elrond!" I yelled and the man came around the corner. I quickly dismounted and lifted Frodo down and placed him into the ebony haired ellon's arms.  
"We will save him." he assured me before running off and into the building. I began to breathe heavily and I stared around myself, too tired to see any of it. There were not many elves around but the few that were stared at me in amazement. Up under the balcony of the walk way stood two elves. One was female and the other was male. They both had midnight black hair and the male was talking quickly to the elleth. She, however, was staring straight at me, frozen in place. Her eyes were an unusual shade of gold that was all too familiar. But it was impossible... they had left.  
"Di?" I asked in shock. She placed a hand over her mouth in surprise and the ellon next to her turned to see what the problem was.  
"Seph!" she cried, lifting her skirts and running down the steps, throwing her arms around me. I returned the gesture and we stood there in the others embrace.  
"I thought you had left," I whimpered. She smiled and me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. She simply smiled and I smiled back, no words were needed.  
"I should send horses for the others," I whispered.  
"I will do that sister, you look exhausted and ready to pass out. It is so good to see you again, I missed you every day. Finn did as well but I doubt that she will be as welcoming." She lead me up to where the ellon stood.  
"Elrohir, would you mind leading Seph to a room?" He stared at me in shock before grinning.  
"It would be my pleasure."

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**A/N: Yay! Our Rivendell friends are back! Please review it would mean the world.**

**And just a reminder, the artist name is 'Seph-the-Awesome' (who is Maddie btw)**


	24. Wait WHAT!

**A/N: Ok... I was late... again... and I don't even have an excuse this time  
No matter, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it. I will attempt to update soon but I can make no promises.  
**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, we don't own anything apart from our Oc's and the horse Thor...  
Anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

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Wait...WHAT?!

Finna's POV

Imagine if you will this scenario. Your group of four best friends gets split in an argument and the two pairs go their separate ways. Then, out of the blue, they turn up again, five years later, expecting everything to be fine and dandy. Ok, you can quit imagining now, 'cos it's true. There I was, hunting in the woods with Dan, just about to spear a deer right in the eye with my now expert archery skills. The sun was beaming down on us as we crouched silently in the greenery, and the visibility was perfect. I knew I would not miss. Pulling back the bowstring, I was just about to shoot when I heard the sound of breaking twigs and rustling leaves behind us. Cursing as I watched the startled deer flee away from the noise, I turned around to see Di running up to us, practically in hysterics, screaming something about Seph and Kels.

"Fin!" she said, almost tripping over a root of a tree in her eagerness, "You've got to come." I could see there were tear tracks running down her cheeks and her eyes were unusually puffy.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I burst out, fearing the worst. Had we been attacked? When I could tell that Di was actually in no danger, I sighed, putting down my bow when I realised I had lost track of the deer. "Di? What is it?" I repeated.

"You've got to come!" she urged again, just as inscrutably. I saw now that despite the tears her eyes were bright and she was smiling her enigmatic smile. "It's them."

"What? Who? What are you going on about?" Di, always the logician, loving facts, could be downright annoying at times. "Who is it?"

Now Di was frantically waving her arms, as if somehow I would understand. She seemed too excited to speak.

"Argh!" she said finally, "Just come!" She reached out to grab my arm, but I dodged her and stood firmly.

"No. I'm not coming unless you tell me why. I'm kind of in the middle of something here," I said, gesturing to the woods around me and to Dan, our adoptive brother, who was waiting, slightly bemused at what was happening. He then turned and started setting up a trap, and I continued talking to Di.

"Ok, alright," said Di, who looked as though she had calmed down slightly, and was more like her normal composed self. "It's them."

I was exasperated, "Yes, you've said that already, and-" I paused. I looked at her face, trying to deduce what was going on. Her sparkling gold eyes were just as elusive as ever, but somehow it seemed as though she were trying to tell me something. "Hang on...?"

"Yes."

"But, that's not-"

"It is."

"No way!" I said slowly, my brain trying and failing to process what was going on. If I was right, there was only one thing Di could be making this much fuss about. But I couldn't be right. That was impossible.

She cut off my train of thought, confirming what I hoped and feared would be true, "Seph. Seph and Kels have come to Rivendell."

There was a pause as the realisation hit me. They were back.

"WHAT?!" I roared, a whole bunch of conflicting emotions running through my head all at once. Even though I had guessed it for the past one and a half minutes or so, hearing her say it meant it was real.

I was so surprised that I stepped backwards. And felt the earth give way beneath my foot. As I sank back into the trap Dan had so thoughtfully and lovingly made while we were talking, I heard Di give a faint shriek. Faint because I could only hear it over my own voice cursing Dan for building a trap right behind me. I had twisted my ankle, and my right leg was stuck in the trap, so no matter how hard I pulled I could not get it out. I probably would have felt sorry for the rabbits that get trapped in Dan's traps all the time, but right now I was too busy trying to get free. Dan held his hands up, giving me a shaky smile,

"Sorry, I'll try and get you out, just hold still," he said as I struggled. The ropes were cutting deep into my leg. He cut the ropes twisted around my leg with his knife, and I swear I heard him say, "That was a waste of a good trap... I shall have to build another now." I gave him a murderous glare, and then I turned to Di, who was hovering nearby with an anxious expression on her usually calm face.

"Fin, you need to come!" she said when she saw me looking at her.

"Yes, well I was about to but-" I gestured around me with my arms. "But you can still tell me what the hell is going on. When did they come? And, most importantly, why? And why didn't you tell me?"

I was bursting with questions, and I still could not believe it was true. I didn't know whether to feel happy at finally meeting them again or angry that they had left it so long. I figured I would have a long time to work out which as it did not seem as though I would be moving anywhere fast anytime soon as, even though Dan had managed to get my leg out of his infernal rabbit trap, my ankle was twisted, and I was sitting leaning back against a tree. Dan was already setting up another snare, thankfully keeping a wary distance away from me.

"Listen, Fin, I do not know all the details. Seph was extremely tired and as soon as she arrived I sent her with Elrohir to find a room for her to stay in. You must understand that they did not come here to see us. And they're not both here."

"What do you mean; you mean they've split up?" I found myself horrified at the thought of them wandering around Middle Earth alone, when it could be very dangerous.

"No. Well, yes. They were travelling in a group, Seph, Kelly, and some others, and the only reason they came to Rivendell at all is because one of their number became wounded. Persephone brought him back with her, and I imagine that at the moment Elrond is treating him. By the size and shape of him, he was a hobbit. When Seph told me that others of her company were waiting in the forest, I have planned to send horse for them and intend on being one of the party to go and collect them. The are slightly west of here, that is all I know. However, when Seph first entered through the gates, there was a distinct look of surprise when she recognised me, so I believe she had thought that we had left Rivendell. That is why I came to tell you as quickly as possible."

Di seemed puffed out after her speech, and stood waiting for me expectantly. She held out her hand, and I took it, pulling myself up from my fairly comfortable seat on the forest floor. Immediately there was a shot of pain through my leg, and I limped forwards, leaning on Di for support. But I knew that if I gave in and asked Di for a mount to get me back, firstly it would take another hour (and it was already getting dark) and secondly, I would be teased forever more by Dan and Roh. So I hobbled along with Di, leaving Dan behind in the wood as he was eager to finish his new trap.

As we walked – frustratingly slowly – I thought about what I should say to Seph and Kels when I saw them. I mean, it's not as if you meet your ex-best-friends-who-left-five-years-ago again every day is it? I wondered why Di had been so friendly, inviting them in. Personally, I didn't think I wanted anything to do with them – I was happy as I was. How could they do this, turning up after five whole years, with hardly a word of contact in between, and then expect us to help them? Di was always too kind, I thought, turning to the side to glance at her as she helped me walk. She had invited Seph in and had sorted out horses without even asking me. I would have been furious if I hadn't been leaning on her for support. Actually, thinking about it, I guess I would have done what Di had. I really doubt I would have just shut the door in their faces. What really bugged me though was the fact that they had not even thought of visiting us before. Had Seph and Kels not missed us at all? Had they not regretted what happened five years ago? I certainly had, but it looked like they hadn't.

If we had known where they were, Di and I would definitely have gone out to find them. Well, we did know where they would be, they were going to "go and find the hobbits". I had read that short note so many times I had memorised most of it. It was the only clue we had about where they were. It wasn't as if it would have been easy to go and find them though. Yes, we could have gone to Hobbiton, but what then? There had been a time about four years ago when we realised how long we had been staying in Rivendel for, and we had seriously thought about going to search for them. We had everything planned, but then we realised that they probably would not even want to see us. They had left us hadn't they? And at first a small part of my mind always thought that to go and find them would be admitting defeat, as we had been wrong: we had not been able to find a way back to Earth.

Earth. There were times when I completely forgot about my life there, then felt guilty for not feeling as sad as I thought I should feel. But other times I did feel sad, homesick, just missing the 21st century things that made life easier. That was happening less and less now, and to be honest I was glad that there was no way to get back. Here everything was simpler and more beautiful, and after five years I truly felt like I belonged.

But now it seemed like things were changing. Seph had turned up on our doorstep wanting help, and she was surprised that we were even here. They were on their way somewhere else. I wondered what was going on, and then I realised. This was it. I had been thinking about it for a long time, I remember what Di had said ages ago when we first got here. She had said that the events of the book would start in around five years. Well, something was happening, and if Seph was travelling with hobbits then she would know what. They had come here from Bree. I knew it in my heart, and at that moment I realised that I would do anything I could to help them on their journey, and to maybe even play a part in the adventure myself...

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**A/N: Dun Dun Dun! They are back! ****A pet ranger for anyone who reviews!**

**P.S. If you have anything you would like to see happen then drop a review with your ideas, all thoughts will be taken into account  
Constructive criticism is welcome :)**


	25. CAT FIGHT

**A/N: Well hello readers, I finally updated (note the word finally). This is the chapter that I know a lot of you have been waiting for (other than hte actually quest and the council and all that). THEY ARE FINALLY ALL BACK, YAY!**

**Disclaimer: Please don't sue me, I only own the Ocs**

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Chapter Twenty-Three – CAT FIGHT!

Kels POV

I sat curled up beneath a large tree, Aragorn's thick woollen cloak wrapped around my shivering form. The remaining hobbits sat huddled around the small fire that Sam had made, mourning the loss of Seph and Frodo.  
_Seph…_  
We didn't even know if she was alive. I knew that Frodo would survive but what of my sister? Sobbing gently, I turned away from the fire and the slumped figure of Aragorn. I could not help but be jealous at Seph's little talk with him. They were friends... but what about me?  
"Milady?" I jumped slightly and looked up to see Glorfindel looking down at me, his golden hair glinting in the fire light. I turned away so that he could not see my tearstained face but his long fingers caught my chin and made me look at him.  
"Lady Kelly. What ails you?"

Stared at him blankly through bleary eyes, I sighed and rubbed the tears away on the back of my hand.  
"I don't know where Seph is," I muttered gently and looked down at the damp earth beneath my feet.  
"I would not have allowed her to go if I did not think that she would be able to handle herself. Trust me, I have seen a lot." I giggled gently through my tears and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I looked up at him in thanks as he moved to sit beside me, gracefully perching on the wet rock. I could see Aragorn looking at me out of the corner of my eye, his face was still set in the same glum expression but he appeared to have gotten gloomier. Turning my head back to face Glorfindel, I asked him the question that had been plaguing my mind since he had first arrived.  
"How do you know us?"  
At that precise moment, horses burst through the trees. I leapt up, drawing my sword quickly but my attack was stopped by Glorfindel's hand like a vice on my arm, preventing me from moving. Aragorn's grey mood had vanished and a large open smile had spread across his face.  
"Glorfindel!" called a voice and a blonde elleth leapt down from the horse and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. She was tall, just a little shorter than he and she had grassy green eyes with patches of brown...  
_Wait! I recognise those eyes! _  
I froze and quickly turned my head to look at the other companions. Two identical ellons with long ebony hair and silvery eyes, sitting beside a shorter elleth who had the same dark hair but a rounder face and golden eyes.  
"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered, the gash on the back of my head beginning to throb with a terrible pain again as my mind processed what it was seeing. The elleths finally turned to look at me and I saw their mouths open slightly in shock.  
"Zut alors!" I exclaimed before tumbling over backwards as I was knocked down by Diana, her usual composure thrown to the wind as she hugged me tightly.  
"_Qui êtes-vous, et qu'avez-vous fait avec Diana?_ Who are you and what have you done with Diana?" She began to laugh and looked over at Fin, gesturing her over. She shuffled forward awkwardly and stopped a few feet away from me. I knew she would not be happy with us, especially Seph, after what had happened.  
"Fin..." But I was cut off as she launched herself forward and added herself to the dog pile.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, just laughing as we shared each other's company. However, I eventually sat up, dusting myself off, and the others did the same.  
"Seph arrived safely," Di spat out and I nodded, heaving a huge sigh of relief. "She had a hobbit with her..." she added, clearly hoping for answers. Seeing this I gave a half smile and turned to the fire where three expectant faces were staring up at me.  
"You three!" I called to the hobbits. "Come and meet _mes soeurs!_ My sisters!_" _They stood immediately and ran over, hair messy and clothes dirty with dirt smudged across their childlike features.  
"Fin, Di, these are our little brothers. This is Sam, Merry and Pippin," I said gesturing to each one. "And the hobbit that you saw earlier was Frodo." They froze and their mouths began to open as the situation suddenly dawned on the both.  
I smiled and made my way over to the fire where I sat down on a log, the hobbits on either side of me.  
"Now why don't you tell me why you are still on middle earth?" They carefully sat down opposite me as they began to tell us about the energy needed to get home. The ellons all just stared warily; it was clearly something they had heard before. I then told them of our trip to the Shire and various stories of our time there, the hobbits adding information when needed. They all stared at me in surprise and keen interest. Though I never looked in his direction I could feel Aragorn watching me and I shifted - uncomfortable under his gaze. Fin began to shake as she listened and she turned away.  
"Fin," I whispered, touching her arm lightly. She looked up at me, eyes sparkling with tears.  
"It's just… So much has happened since we last met. You are so different and part of me feels that it will never be the same again. You never came to see us." I gave her a slight smile and threw my arm around her shoulders.  
"Fin, we've grown, we've changed, but we are still the same people that you knew before, and FYI we thought you had gone back home so we couldn't see the point in visiting you of you weren't there." She smiled at me in thanks before standing.

"Well it is time to get moving, we want to get back in good time and I still need to see Seph. I will ride on my horse, Glorfindel will take that chestnut horse there," she said, gesturing to Thor with one hand. "Diana ride with Roh." Di let out an audible groan. "Dan, you get the hobbits and Kelly will ride with Estel." My eyes widened dramatically and I gestured to her subtly with one hand, practically begging her but she just winked and leapt up onto her horse, paying no attention to my silent cursing as I asked myself why I had never taken up riding. I watched in mild amusement as Di sat awkwardly behind whom I guessed was Elrohir and Elladan was squashed with three hobbits.  
"Little one." I looked up to see Aragorn on the last horse, staring down at me, one hand extended. Sighing in defeat, the smile dropping from my face, I took his hand and he lifted me up onto the horse. He placed me behind him and I gently wrapped my arms around his torso to prevent myself from falling off. Warmth radiated off him and I struggled not to snuggle up, my own body cold and wet as it was. I whistled lightly and Bill came trotting up beside us nickering lightly as he patterned along at our heels. The ride was long and exceedingly awkward, Aragorn and I did not speak at all throughout the entire journey, much to everyone else's amusement, I could see Fin snorting at me as I tried to look anywhere except the ranger in front of me. It's not like we had had an argument but think about it, this is my childhood crush and I am forced to wrap my arms around his midsection, even though we are strictly friends, perhaps not even that. The horse had just reached the smooth path leading to the city when he finally turned his head to look at me.  
"Are you alright?" I glared back at him and turned away, annoyed at the rather pointless question.  
"I will be when we find Seph."  
"What have I done to offend you?"  
"You have not offended me; I am just in a rather sour mood and worried for my brothers safety." He turned back to look at the road as the horse clopped into the courtyard. Elrond, an easily recognisable figure, stood waiting for us.

"Follow me," he said, turning and disappearing into the building. I leapt off the horse, followed quickly by everyone else and we ran down the corridors after Elrond. The place was a labyrinth of corridors and turns and I knew that I would not be able to find my way around without a guide. Finally, we reached a straight section of corridor, there was only one door and a figure sat slumped on a chair outside. Elrond slowly walked up to the figure and shook their shoulder.  
"Wake, we have visitors." Their head shot up to reveal a pair of cobalt eyes and a tanned face. A grin spread across Seph's face as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck, the hobbits hugging her waist. We stood there embracing for several moments before we pulled back. Seph turned to the door and opened it, allowing us to enter. I went in with the hobbits, Seph, Di and Fin who was actively avoiding Seph. Lying on the bed by the wall was a thin, pale figure.  
"Frodo!" cried Sam, running forward and placing himself on the stool by Frodo's bedside. The door clicked shut and Pip and Merry joined Sam by Frodo, ignoring the rest of us. Seph looked over at Fin who was staring out of the window, away from Seph. The tension in the air was tangible as Seph walked towards me and removed the quarterstaff from my back. She turned back and gave a slight cough, causing Fin and Di to snap to attention.  
"I know you are angry with me, and I don't expect forgiveness..." she sighed gently and drew the rapier from its scabbard. "But would you please accept these as a truce, I don't this want to get in the way of everyone else. They are the weapons of animal spirits, given to us by Tom Bombadil at the barrow downs." She extended at them forward and Diana took the deer staff without question but Fin stood for a moment, staring at the sword. Suddenly she lunged forward, took the sword and there was a split second as she brought her hand up before bringing it back down across Seph's cheeks, causing Seph to flinch.  
"That is for leaving us," she said glaring, her face pulled into a frown as she watched the cheek she had hit turn an angry shade of red. Seph stared back, eyes wide in surprise but they slowly thinned to slits as she returned Fin's harsh gaze, the battle for dominance filled the whole room with a thick, overpowering silence.

They stood, continually locked in this battle of wills, something Seph was rather good at, for the next ten minutes. Eventually, Elrond came in and had to hide his laughter as he shooed us out of the room and into the corridor so he could check on Frodo's wounds. Seph and Fin continued their death stares until Seph decided to settle it the old fashioned way. They both tumbled to the floor as they threw kicks and punches, attempting to get the other in a headlock. Finna had obviously had more training, her movements smooth and calculated but Seph had the advantage of speed and actual experience in fighting (wolves in the old wood and various other creatures, not to mention the nazgul *shiver*). The men that stood beside us watched in shock as the previously calm elleths fought in the middle of the hallway. Eventually, they both dropped to the ground exhausted and lay there heads still turned away from each other as Fin fiddled with the handle of her new sword, impressed with the craftsmanship and clearly wondering why Seph had really given it to her. Elrond exited the room, glancing unsurprised at the two of them before beckoning them with one finger. They quickly got up, dusting themselves off, and Seph grabbed my hand, dragging me after her as we hurried through the corridors. Fin and Di strode at our sides, new weapons strapped onto their belts as we arrived at a large, ornately carved door which led into the large, warm and homey room that I presumed was Elrond's study. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth and a large desk surrounded by plush chairs sat at the other end. A discarded chess set sat on the edge and various papers were neatly stacked.  
Elrond sat himself in the large wooden chair at the head of the desk and gestures for us to be seated. A warm smile played on his lips as he watched Seph mindlessly translating one of the letters that sat on his desk.

Elrond gave a slight cough, causing all of our heads to snap to attention.  
"Well," began Elrond, his lips curving up into a small smile. "I have decided that I will add you to my family as well." Seph's head snapped up and her eyes widened slightly, along with Fin's.  
"What?" they both exclaimed, presuming that they had misheard.  
"But ada!"  
"Finna dear, don't lie. You forgave her years ago, you told me yourself. You have a close bond already, to a sisterly level and it only seems fair that I offer them the same treatment that I offered you."  
"I am not sure that you completely understand Elrond; I abandoned them. They have every to remain angry at me, hate me even…" she trailed off and stared at the perfectly clean green carpet beneath our feet, trying to find some sort of imperfection. A sigh was heard and I turned to the owner.  
"No Seph, I don't like to admit it but I did you years ago, I can never stay angry with you for long. I missed you terribly and I cloaked all of my grief with anger in the hopes that it would make it better." Seph looked up at her, teary eyed. The two simply stared at each other for several long moments, which seemed to drag out into an eternity until, finally, Seph threw her arms around the taller blonde female. Fin tensed but slowly relaxed, returning the gesture.  
"I'm sorry," Seph whispered, "I acted rashly and I should have thought it through."  
"Do not apologise, I am the sorry one. You have all right to act rashly, I insulted you in all the ways I know upset you. Who knows, maybe fate wanted us to go our separate ways."

"Well, that is all settled then." We snapped back to reality and turned to Elrond. "You are now ladies of Rivendell, my 'adopted' daughters and may introduce yourselves as such. I hope you do not mind having a slightly larger family than the little group you had before," he said, referring to the hobbits, "and I am willing to be a father to the two of you as I have to these two rascals." At the word father, Seph's eyes began to water again and she threw her strong arms around Elrond's neck.  
"Thank you ada..." she whispered, she looked like a small child again, wrapped in Elrond's arms as he welcomed the newest addition to his family. Feeling left out I got up and scuttled over, squeezing in and giggling as Fin and Diana joined us.  
Eventually we all drew back and Elrond smiled at us, wiping Seph's eyes.  
"I will need to introduce you to the twins, can you go and get them?" he asked the other two who nodded and promptly left. Elrond turned to us again, slightly more serious.  
"I have no doubt that you will want to continue your journey with your brothers, but for your safety I would like you to have some training."  
"I am good at shooting..." Seph said.  
"I have no doubt you are but I would like to continue your lessons. You will have sword and knife lessons with the twins, Glorfindel will teach you a range of other weapons and I would like you to have some academic tutoring with my friend and companion Erestor. You will have shooting lessons when a suitable tutor arrives."  
"You are taking the role of dad really seriously." I said, cocking my head to one side. He laughed slightly and sighed.  
"I enjoy helping you and with the journey you are about to make it is necessary." I suddenly had a strange, overwhelming feeling that he wasn't just talking about the trip to Mordor.  
"There is more to you than the four of you know, I wish for you to stay safe and to help you on you way."  
The atmosphere was broken by a pair of unruly twins running in and lifting us up.  
"Yay! New sisters!" yelled one.  
"Apparently these two are a lot more fun!"  
"Yeah! I heard that Seph is a trickster!"  
"Stop talking about me like I'm not god damn here!" Seph cried out, playfully whacking their heads. "Or I will get you back."

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**A/N: That reaction might have been slightly OOC, I don't know but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Our next canon character will make a brief appearance in the next chapter so stay tuned!**


	26. Poor Glorfindel

**A/N: Well here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: We only own the Ocs**

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Chapter Twenty-Four – Poor Tortured Glorfindel

Seph's POV

It had been a couple of days since we had first arrived and Frodo still hadn't awoken. I had visited him at least twice a day; sometimes with old Bilbo whose stories I loved to listen to. Sam had hardly left his side and I only really saw Pippin and Merry at meal times, they spent the rest of their time running around the place. Gandalf had arrived shortly afterwards, rather tired, and had only spent two seconds congratulating us on our new status as ladies of Rivendell before hurrying off to his room and falling asleep. Dwarves, men and elves were all beginning to arrive which made it very awkward for me, nice friendly hobbits are easy to deal with in large numbers, they have a nature about them that makes you want to trust them immediately, but these larger, harsher and stronger people were intimidating to say the least. Not physically, but I'm no social butterfly so I tried to avoid speaking, pretending I only spoke elvish when I met men or dwarves, and pretending to only speak Westron when I met elves.

Our lessons had continued and it had become obvious that our weapons provided us with a strength that was slightly more than that of your average elf, which was useful since my skill was still slightly lacking. The twins and I had caused much chaos, I found them easy to relate to and we had hit it off immediately. I would often see Aragorn around but the tension between him and Kels was so thick and awkward that I stayed out of his way when she was around. Erestor had polished our elvish and given us a little more depth into elvish culture so that we would be able to fit in more easily but most elves weren't as open as them and walked around like emotionless statues, radiating grace and beauty. That afternoon was going to turn out to be one of the most eventful in quite a while. I was walking with Kelly, Diana and the twins on the way to the private training ring (the other was being used by visitors) when we turned a corner and saw something I deemed as strange. Fin stood there, wrapped in Glorfindel's embrace in the middle of the corridor, they were oblivious to our presence so I looked to the twins for answers. Dan just made a heart symbol with his fingers.

They were in love? He was her boyfriend?  
'He is like a million times her age!' I thought.  
'Oh well...' I replied to myself mentally. 'We are elves so when we live thousands of years the age gap doesn't really matter.'  
'But!' I argued.  
'Hush, just get their attention so we can give him the talk.'  
'Di and the twins have probably given him the talk already.'  
'Oh well, no one gives 'The Talk' like you do.'  
"Excuse me lovebirds!" I called and their heads snapped up, Fin went beet red and Glorfindel just stared. "Could we borrow your man for a second?" I asked, Kelly coming up beside me, immediately catching on. Glorfindel suddenly paled and I had the feeling that Fin had warned him what might possibly happen. Fin stepped aside with a slight smirk and a half worried glance in his direction. Kelly and I strode forward, grabbing the tall man by the arms and dragged him to the wall where we slammed him up against it.  
"Now, from your reaction I presume you have been forewarned." He gave a slight nod. "Well I'll cut to the chase then, you hurt her in any way and I will castrate you with a rusty fork and cut your heart out with a spoon. I will gut you from throat to abdomen and hang your innards up around the halls for all to see before I feed them to the crows. I will feed your heart to the nazgul on a silver platter and put your head up on a spike as a warning to others. The rest of you will be sent to the Balrogs. Clear?"  
"Crystal," choked the shocked man as we released him. I did the watching you gesture before walking up beside the others who were none too subtly hiding their snickers as Fin helped Glorfindel up.  
"I'm hungry, let's go and find something to eat."

We sat in the empty library with sandwiches on a plate in front of us as Fin slowly recounted their story.  
"Glorfindel's was the one who found us when we were wandering in the forest. We became friends quickly and it progressed from there I guess. I had always had a crush on him but thought it was unrequited till I came of age (Elrond worked out that we are actually aging faster than normal elves but we stopped aging at eighteen in human years). It was my party and I went outside to get some fresh air as I was growing weary of the constant invites to come and dance. Glorfindel followed me and, when we were alone, he professed his love for me under the starlight. It was the most romantic thing ever." I opened my mouth wide, pointed to it and pretended to be sick. They all laughed at my antics. As you may have guessed, I am a feminist and completely against anything that involves relying on boys unless they are my brothers or it is the only option.  
"Still so against the idea of love sister?" Diana asked with a half-smile.  
"If I fall in love then it either means that I have gone mad or the apocalypse has begun." They all began to laugh again and I leant back against the bookshelf, taking a large bite of my cucumber sandwich (yummy! I was pretty disappointed about the general lack of meat but there are some things you just have to live with).  
"You will fall in love one day," winked Dan.  
"Says 'Mr I-hit-on-anything-that-breathes," I retorted, receiving a light punch in the arm. The twins did consider themselves to be the Valar's gift to women everywhere. I never really understood the point in needlessly flirting with people but then again, whatever floats your boat and as long as it doesn't sink mine. Kelly giggled at us as she continued to munch on her food, gazing wistfully into the distance.  
"Well someone seems a little ditzy today," I said, poking her in the head. "Busy thinking about a certain ranger I know of, are we?" Kelly blushed and hit my arm, hard might I add.  
"Am not!"  
"That hurt, not just my arm, but my feelings," I said pouting slightly, though a smile slowly slipped its way through my already cracking facade.

I looked across at those around me. Fin's hand was clasped firmly in the slightly larger one of the golden haired elf next to her. They stared into each other's eyes in a slightly sweet, slightly weird way. When it comes to romantic love I have often been told by them that I am emotionally inept, the concept just doesn't get through to me. In my opinion, love is just heartbreak waiting to happen, and I have already experienced more of the latter in my short life than most of these elves have in their centuries. Elladan and Elrohir were quietly discussing pretty girls they had seen recently and Kels was staring at the wall with the same, far off, expression. Turning to the only person I could relate to on the subject of love, I said,  
"Well Di, as we are the only sane, bachelorettes here, I think we should go and find something non lovey dovey to do." She began to chuckle and stood up, pulling me up with one hand. As we left the convention of the love seekers, I turned to look at her.  
"If I ever fall in love, I will eat my map." She laughed and shook her head lightly. She always tells me that love is just the release of hormones which gives a person a euphoric feeling of flying, not that she would know - that is just what her father told her - which, in our opinion, means it is fact. As we made our way to Elrond's study, I reflected on my relationships. I had never had a boyfriend, I saw them as pointless. On Earth I had my three friends, but apart from that I was pretty much a loner. My parents were killed in a car crash that still sometimes gives me nightmares. My aunt is in a different universe and all my other family members are either self-appointed or adopted. My only other friends are one adopted sister's boyfriend, another one's crush, a crazy wizard whom I see as my grandpa and my teacher who I don't really get along with. What a crazy family I have. I shook my head slightly and ran a hand through my hair. Because of the trauma I experienced when I was younger, my emotions tended to be erratic - most of the time I would be wild and loud while sometimes I could be emotionally flat. It was for that reason that I often had trouble empathising with others around me on an emotional level. I still suffered panic attacks, though very rare, and they happened most often around the anniversary of the accident. I shivered involuntarily as we stopped outside the large oak doors that lead to the study.

Not bothering to knock, we pushed the door open and strode in. Elrond was absent so the two of us made ourselves comfortable in the thick, cushioned chairs and set up the chess board. I sucked at chess and most games like it, I was good at logic but rubbish at logic games, but I still had fun playing. We played several times, I lost every single game. After a while I took out a book on the shelf and the two of us sat there, reading it as Di corrected my mispronunciations and helped me with the few words I had trouble with. We left about half an hour later and met up with the others again in the room where they were keeping Frodo until he woke from his coma. Gandalf was sitting in a chair at the foot of his bed, puffing merrily on his pipe while Sam just sat there, hand tight around Frodo's and stated at him. Pippin and Merry sat in the corner exchanging stories and I smiled at them all, taking in the sight before moving to sit beside Mithrandir.  
"Hello Seph, how do you fare?"  
"I fare well," I replied, humouring him. "And how do you fare?  
"As well as one can expect to in current times." He turned to look at me misty grey eyes burning into me. "Remember what I told you; tell no one of what is to come. Fate has already been woven, do not meddle with it." I opened my mouth to reply but closed it again, my silvertongue lost for words. He smiled at me and shook his head, laughing slightly in amusement. When he did, Pippin and Merry noticed me and ran over, clambering up onto my lap and smiling up at me.  
"How is the fair lady?" asked Merry with a wink.  
"I am well oh brave knight, have you come back from slaying dragons or merely from the banquet hall?" I replied causing them to laugh. Frodo groaned slightly and tossed, causing our eyes to snap to him. The two hobbits leapt from my lap and I leant forwards slightly, willing him to wake... but he slept on. I shifted back to my original position and smiled as Bilbo wandered in, his book of stories under his arm; per request of Gandalf he had given me a copy of Beorn's story. I found it fascinating but I really didn't see why I might need it.

Kelly ran up next to me and sat on my lap.  
"Let's go to the training ring Seph! We didn't go this morning." I raised a thin eyebrow; she had been perfectly comfortable before. I could hardly stop my snort of laughter when I noticed the, previously dirty, now clean ranger at the door. I turned my gaze back to Kelly and she blushed when she realised that I had caught her red handed.  
"You can't avoid him forever," I whispered in her ear. "If we do go on this journey then you will be around him all the time so it would be best if you got used to him now." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, standing and allowing me to get up. We walked to the door where Aragorn stood and the tension became almost unbearable.  
"Hello," Kelly said and the atmosphere calmed.  
"I'm pleased to see that you are talking to me again," he said with a smirk. "What caused you to change your mind?"  
"Watch the attitude mister or I'll do more than just ignore you." He laughed loudly and I slipped back into the room to stand beside the twins.

As we were perfecting the plans for our next prank, our adoptive father Elrond suddenly appeared in the doorway and gestured to us with one hand. Kels and I followed quickly; the others close behind us, and soon found ourselves at our previous destination, the training ring. In the centre stood a tall, platinum blonde, elf. His smooth plaited hair and hunting gear were pristine and you could tell that he was of high status. I immediately disliked him.  
"Persephone, Kelly, meet your new archery teacher." I grimaced slightly; this guy's ego looked bigger than Mt. Fuji...  
"I can't wait to see how this turns out," I heard Elladan say. He knew of my aversion to shooting lessons, I was perfectly capable and had been given a special 'shoot straight' bow by Tom Bombadil. I was like a female, but slightly more reckless, version of Hawkeye. I smirked to myself as we headed down to where the targets were set out. He was going to have his work cut out with me.

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**A/N: ****Hope you enjoyed this chapter, hope it might give a little insight. ****Would anyone like to take a guess as to who their archery teacher is? I personally think that it is really obvious but ya never know.**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter which will contain some Glorfin, Seph up to her old tricks and perhaps a little game of matchmaker.**

**Can we please get the review number up to 80 or more? It would mean the world :D**


	27. Seph the Matchmaker

**A/N: Late! Tests got in the way. Anyway, here is the chapter. Thank you for all your ideas as to who their teacher is going to be. Seph was right, he will have his work cut out with her ;) no love will be lost... yet.**

**Disclaimer: We only own the Ocs**

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Chapter Twenty-Five – Seph the Matchmaker

Fin's PoV

Though the atmosphere between Seph and I could be stressed at times, I was glad to see that she was making an effort to make it feel like we were never apart, even if that did involve permanently scarring my boyfriend.

As we followed Elrond down the corridor I glanced up at Glorfindel, a light blush coating my cheeks when he returned my gaze. He was no longer wary of Seph, knowing that she had my welfare in mind, but made a massive effort to act like the perfect boyfriend whenever she was around. Some people might find my relationship with Glorfindel strange.

We first met when I had just entered my teen years, a little weird but we were soul mates and nothing could change that. No matter how many relationships an elf had in their lives, only their soul mate would truly capture their heart. Glorfindel had explained the concept on my sixteenth birthday, even though I hadn't realised what he was implying at the time.

When we arrived at the training ring I saw that Seph and Kels were already there with our twin brothers who looked rather amused. Kels was shuffling awkwardly and Seph was staring into the ring at something out of my field of vision, a pillar obscuring my view. She had a look on her face which read _'If you are as stupid as I think you are, I will make your life living, breathing hell'_. Curious, I came up beside them as we walked down into the training area. The elf that stood there was well composed, calm and had an emotionless expression showing perhaps just a slight hint of snootiness; then again I might just be being judgmental. He had platinum blonde hair, pulled back into the classic three warrior braids and clear blue eyes, almost slightly silvery in the light. He looked strong, well built and almost leonine.

"Kelly, Persephone, this is Prince Legolas of the woodland realm." Our eyebrows collectively shot up and Seph gave a slight growl at the tiny smirk that graced his handsome face.

"My ladies, please pick up the bows," said Legolas, his voice smooth and silken. Kelly stepped forward and picked up the practice bow he had provided, Seph however walked over to the wooden chest which contained her weapons and withdrew her mahogany bow with twirling silver engravings travelling up the wood and her quiver which bore a similar design, the arrows fletched with blue feathers. Legolas just raised an eyebrow before turning back to the target and quickly nocking and firing his arrow in one motion, hitting dead centre.

"This is the standard we are aiming for, please take your place." Kelly walked forward and Legolas glided over, pointing out flaws in her posture and correcting her. Seph stood practicing her stance to the left and let out an angry huff as he came over and began to tell her what she needed to do.

"Straighten up, don't tense," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you will never hit anything with that posture." Seph hissed quietly through her teeth and I stared in amusement as she strode up to the firing line and repeating Legolas' earlier feat, firing in one smooth motion and splitting the prince's arrow right down the middle. We all collectively turned to look at Legolas, future member of the fellowship. His jaw had gone slack in shock as he stared at the defiant and short young elleth before him.

They stared at each other, battling for dominance. Kelly was practicing with her bow in the background; she was surprisingly good at shooting so I'm guessing Seph had given her lessons. In the end, she stopped to watch the battle of wills. The thick silence was suddenly broken as Seph performed a sweeping bow to the stunned blonde prince and rose again.

"Thank you for your consideration prince longlegs." We all watched as she strode from the training ring with the twins close behind her. Legolas quickly composed himself, her outlandish and loud behavior obviously a shock. Acting as though nothing had happened he turned back to Kelly and coughed awkwardly.

"Shall we continue then?"

I laughed slightly before departing in the direction that Seph had left in. She was probably with the twins now, plotting revenge for his comment on her posture. As I swept down the corridor, past various other elves I found myself at a loss as to where she must be. After ten minutes I gave up and headed down, out of the house and through the forest, my pale green dress swishing behind me.

As I emerged from the tree line I found myself in the glade that we often used to play in. The large pool and small cliff still stood as proud as they had done all those years ago. I perched on a fallen log and stared over the shimmering water. Vibrantly coloured dragonflies danced across the surface causing small ripples to run across the smooth glassy face. I was snapped from my reverie by a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I sighed and sank down slightly, my fea instantly recognising who was behind me. Glorfindel stepped around me and looked into my eyes. His golden hair reflected some of the sun's rays causing a halo of light to appear around his head, the halo of an angel. He knelt gently down in front of me, taking no mind of the dirt that was getting onto his previously pristine breeches. His slightly calloused hands took mine and I looked at our intertwined fingers.

"Are you alright melenin?" A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth and a sigh escaped my parted lips.

"Just tired that's all." He raised a single eyebrow and I raised my head to meet his burning gaze.

"Don't lie to me! Tell me, what is troubling you?" I really wanted to, but I couldn't tell him. I couldn't tell him that I knew of the upcoming meeting when Frodo wakes and that I intended to leave with the fellowship. He would insist on coming or try and convince me to stay... he really does worry too much.

"I just wish that Seph would treat people like Legolas with respect instead of insulting them," I said, lying through my teeth. He just nodded and my breathed a sigh of relief, lying was Seph's forte, not mine.

"Smile for me," he whispered, cocking his head slightly and causing his smooth golden hair to cascade over one shoulder. I tried to pull my mouth into the smile he wanted, but it just fell straight back into the neutral position that it was in before. Noticing my failure, Glorfindel began to tsk and shook his head lightly.

"We need to do something about that." I opened my mouth to ask him what he was talking about but he had already lifted me up over one shoulder and ran up to the top of the cliff. I screamed in surprise and began to hit his back as hard as I was able to. I had a sudden sense of déjà-vu as he looked me in the eye one more time before dropping me over the edge. I landed with a splash and sank down under the water. I could faintly see the silhouette of his face above the surface and decided to be really mean.

Instead of swimming up for air, I swam down and hid among the rocks at the bottom. I could almost feel his panic as he thought that I might have hit my head and be drowning. I was acting like Seph, it was actually quite fun, and I could see why she did it all the time. There was a splash as he dove in to find me, at which point I swam to the surface and made my way slowly to the edge, grabbing onto the rocks with manicured fingernails.

I stared across the water, a smile finally breaking across my face as I watched Glorfindel surface and turn frantically to find me. As he caught sight of me, I wiggled my fingers and he hissed and began to power his way towards me. I attempted to get out but he was already upon me, wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling me back in and against his muscular chest.

"Don't ever do that again," he growled into my ear, arm tightening around my waist.

"Why ever not?" I asked with a giggle. He growled again and nuzzled his face into my wet hair.

"I don't like it when you are in danger, I don't know what I would do if I lost you." My heart contracted in guilt and I slowly turned to face him. His face was grim and in his eyes was that strange look he sometimes used on me, you could see the infinite knowledge he possessed and all of the things that had happened, all of the events he had witnessed. He had lost so much, including his own life, I felt so cruel to be considering leaving. Placing my soft hands on either side of his face I pulled him closer.

"No matter what happens, I love you, 'kay?" He laughed as I used my abbreviated language, something I rarely did but something he really enjoyed hearing me do for some reason. He pulled me to him and our lips met in a tender yet passionate kiss. I was always startled by the softness of his lips, he was always so careful with me, like I might break under his hands if he handled me roughly.

My arms wrapped around his neck, one hand tangling in his hair as he pushed me up against the rocks. I pulled back, gasping for breath but smiling nonetheless. He returned my smile, leaning forward and pecking me before clambering out, still as graceful as ever, even with his normally perfect hair wet and sticking up in various places. He offered me a hand and I quickly accepted, climbing out with a lot less grace than him.

He was staring at me and I immediately realised that I had been wearing a dress which now clung to all of my curves, sticking to my skin. Hitting him with the back of my hand, I grabbed his cloak and quickly tugged it around my shoulders. It too was wet but it was better than just my dress. I hit him one last time as I passed, heading back into the forest towards the homely house. There was a crunch of leaves as he loudly caught up with me, throwing one long arm around my shoulder.

As we entered the house and walked quickly through the corridors, I froze when I saw Seph leave the library with the twins. A Cheshire cat grin spread across her face and she winked.

"Have fun did you?" I flushed red but Glorfindel just smiled back.

"We did thank you." Seph laughed and nodded. My blush faded and a smile found its way onto my lips too, Glorfindel finally had Seph's respect. That made things so much easier; she always had respect for people with a sense of humour.

"Well I'm fine with that but if you don't go and get cleaned up I'll go and tell Ada that you've been a naughty girl." Her eyes glowing with mirth, I slapped her arm in both annoyance and amusement as I strode past towards my room. As I neared the corner I turned back and stared Seph in the eyes.

"Well if you don't go and get an alibi then I will tell Ada that you were planning on assaulting the prince legless." I turned and walked off, followed by the loud ringing sound of her high laughter, sounding like the tinkling of bells and the high voice of a sky lark.

As I reached my room, I quickly went inside before Glorfindel finally followed me. I reached under the bed and pulled out a small wooden casket. In it was a heart carved of wood with our names engraved into it. I had been working on it in the hope that I would be able to give to Glorfindel before I left. As I stroked the wood, I shivered, only just realising that I was still crouched in a wet dress and Glorfindel's damp cloak.

I quickly threw off my dress, throwing on a dry blue dress and running a comb through my hair, removing the tangles and allowing it to fall in a straight waterfall down past my shoulders, just past my shoulder blades. I quickly looked at the sundial on my balcony, noting that I actually only had about ten minutes until dinner.

Ten minutes until Glorfindel came to get me. Giving a stressed sigh, I ran a single hand through my slightly damp hair and lifted his cloak up, nuzzling my face into it and inhaling the familiar scent of pine and leather. I immediately calmed but stayed standing there for several minutes until a knock came to my door.

The door creaked open and I looked up at Glorfindel, giving him a shaky smile.

"You ready for dinner?"

"I wish." As we were about to head off a surprisingly under-dressed prince of the woodland realm strode past us, face twisted slightly. There was a sloshing sound as the water moved around in his boots when he walked. His thin cotton shirt was soaked; plastered to his skin like my dress had been earlier. His breeches were also wet, giving the impression that he may have very badly wet himself. As soon as he turned the corner, a highly amused Seph left her room that was on the opposite side of the corridor to mine. Her iPod was in her hand, the screen showing that it was in camera mode, much to my amusement.

"What did you do?" Glorfindel questioned. She laughed and shook her head.

"I got the idea from seeing Fin earlier. Just took his other clothes while he was training before placing a piece of twine across his path so he tripped and fell into the pond in the centre of the garden." I snorted gently and Glorfindel covered his face with one hand.

"Was that really necessary?" he questioned, spreading his fingers so he could look through them.

"No, but some negative reinforcement is always useful." She winked and turned to walk away, her pale grey dress swishing around her legs, Elrond had insisted that she wear them to meals. She quickly glanced once more over her shoulder and grinned.

"By the way, if Kels and Aragorn look awkward, they may have... bumped into each other earlier."

With a flicking salute she turned and made her way down the corridor, going in the opposite direction that Legolas had taken.

"Well..." I said, turning to look at Glorfindel, "it appears that Seph is still just as much of a trickster as always, but I never thought she would be a matchmaker."

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**A/N: Thank you for reading! Seph has gone back to being her usual trickster self ;D**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be Diana, but who do you want to hear the POV of after that. I am asking you because I can reveal that that chapter will be...**

***drumroll***

**THE COUNCIL!**

**Please send in a review with your opinions, and who you would like it to be. If there is a real range we might do a switching POV :)  
Also, I would like to get to at least 90 reviews this time, cheers!**


	28. Legobricks the Chicken

**A/N: Woo! It's a Di chapter and I know she has more fans than some other characters (*pouts slightly*) anyway, this time I would like a few more reviews please! Exams are causing my timing to be terrible and July is camp Nano so don't excpect any updates then, I'll be too busy on my 50,000 word novel, HURRAY *sarcasm*. Once again I am sorry for being late. Confrontation will ensue from here, along with an explanation of Seph's prank ;D.**

**We only own the OC's, we don't own LOTR or Shakespeare.**

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Legobricks the Chicken

Di's POV

It was dinner, and I was seated at the huge table which more than accommodated the various guests that had inundated us at the House. As usual, Elrond was at the head of the table, and I was continuing the discussion we had been having on the inequalities surrounding the- never mind: Fin has on many occasions made it known that 'any sane person' would be 'bored to the halls of Mandos' by the complex research project Elrond and I had been conducting for the past year or so. Anyway, as we were conversing, other members of the household filtered in, but I took no notice until four of them, in varying degrees of dampness, ambled through the doorway.

It was Legolas who came in first, indignant and sopping wet, leaving behind him a trail of puddles and mischievous grins. The grins were mainly coming from Seph, who seemed to be recording the whole affair on her iPod. I had not yet met the prince, but from conversations with Elrond I had learnt that he was to be Seph and Kels' archery teacher. My mouth curled into a smile as Elrond motioned for him to sit down, looking slightly amused at the state of the prince. With a squelch, he took his place. Seph hurriedly switched off her iPod, as she had already been told off for having it out during dinner. She greeted Elrond with a shaky smile, and sat down beside me, opposite Legolas. She gave a sly smirk, and he scowled, and I could see that there was no love lost between them. Their first day of training had evidently gone superbly.

Next into the hall, arriving just as steaming pots of delicious food did, were Fin and Glorfindel. They were merely damp, and Fin's long blonde hair was straggling down her shoulders. Although they were technically not holding hands at this moment, it was clear that they had been while walking down the corridor. The look they gave each other as they parted to sit at their respective seats could melt a thousand rainbows with kittens dancing on them, or at least that was how Seph liked to describe it when she was being particularly poetic.

They sat down and started to whisper conspiratorially between themselves, occasionally glancing at Seph or Legolas, who seemed to be partaking in a staring competition. Legolas turned away to wipe a strand of his long blond hair from his face, and Seph winked at Fin, who giggled. I glanced around the table to see if anyone had started eating yet, as I was exceedingly hungry, when I saw there were two conspicuous empty spaces. Having seen me look for them, Seph piped up, in a way that suggested she knew the answer,

"I wonder where Kels and Aragorn are..."

At this point she looked knowingly at the resident lovebirds, who burst out laughing. Once again it seemed I had been left out of something, although Legolas seemed to be as confused as I was.

"They must be on their way," said Elrond, and we sat in silence waiting for them. Finally, the suspense overcame Fin, who was bursting to find out what mischief Seph had caused.

"You'll find out soon enough, although Prince Legless here probably wouldn't understand," was all Seph gave in reply.

'Prince Legless' had opened his mouth to retort when Aragorn came in, followed by a very nervous-looking Kels. They sat down, looking like they would rather not sit adjacent to each other, and the tension in the twenty centimetres that separated them seemed to radiate through the whole room. Kels gave a small cough, and Aragorn shifted in his seat, his fingers fidgeting. They did not notice the range of glances - quizzical, cryptic, and cross - that were being shot across the room. Elrond did though, and promptly motioned for the eating to commence.

The only thing that can be said about the dinner that followed that it was miraculous that nobody was killed. Not in terms of the food - the food was frankly marvellous - and not an orc attack either. No, it was the sheer atmosphere that was choking.

At first, there was silence as we all ate heartily, but halfway then halfway through the main course Legolas said,

"I would be very much obliged if Persephone would call me by my name rather than whatever nickname suits her fancy."

He said this into his plate, looking up at Seph with a steely stare as he finished.

"What, are you handsome legs a touchy subject for poor little Legless?"

He stiffened at being called this, holding his head high with an air of importance.

"And it's Seph thank you."

"Once thing you must understand, _Persephone_ is that I am your teacher-"

"So? I can beat you in an archery competition any day," said Seph confidently.

"Oh, really? Is that a challenge?"

"Unless you're chicken, Legobricks."

They proceeded to bicker, but now as we were nearing the end of our main course, I noticed the silence between Kels and Aragorn was very peculiar, as they were usually on amiable terms. They seemed to be trying to simultaneously avoid each other's gaze and read the emotions on each other's faces, which resulted in a weird inverted staring match. I stifled a laugh as I pondered what Seph could have done this time.

We finished our dessert in near silence, although Glorfindel seemed to be communicating something to Fin through an invisible diagram drawn on the tablecloth with his finger. I turned to Elrond, hoping to carry on with the fascinating conversation we had been having, when I found him finished and ready to leave the table. He stood up, and dinner was over.

As we were leaving, in the corridor on the way to my room, I was suddenly ambushed by an excited Seph, with Fin and Glorfindel tagging along behind. Evidently she could not keep the secret any longer, which was surprising for Seph.

"Now can you tell us what you did?" asked Fin.

"Have they gone?" asked Seph, surreptitiously looking around.

"Yes. Tell us."

"Ok, I will divulge my secrets. Well, basically, have you seen the way Kels and Aragorn look at each other? I mean, it's a match waiting to happen. So I took it upon myself to arrange it." She fell silent, enjoying our anticipation.

"Well?"

"You know how Dan is really good at copying handwriting?" I nodded, vividly remembering an incident, involving a spanner and a very large amount of cheese, in which I had fallen prey to one of Dan's talents.

"All I did was get him to write a super lovey-dovey note. Well, two lovey-dovey notes..." I rolled my eyes, understanding the trick she had played. Fin still looked confused though.

"Then what?"

"What do you think? I planted them, well Roh planted one - he'll kill me if I don't mention him. One in Kels' room, an anguished declaration of love, signed by the good Aragorn, and the second from 'Kelly'," here Seph made quotation marks with her fingers in the air, "to Aragorn. So simple, but you see what happened. They looked more awkward than a pair of snowmen on a beach."

She smiled, waiting to see our reactions. Fin gazed in awe as the simplicity of Seph's plan dawned on her. If both Kels and Aragorn believed the other loved them, surely it would come true?

I chuckled inwardly as I realised that Seph had unknowingly been influenced by someone whose work she had condemned to hell, as I remembered in a faded recollection of our days in school - proper Earth school - studying Shakespeare.

"Remember who commended thy yellow stockings," I said quietly.

"Sorry, what did you say Di?" asked Seph.

"Nothing, just quoting Shakespeare. Remember The Twelfth Night? The play?"

"Not really, I've deleted that sort of stuff from my memory."

"Oh, I remember, kinda..." said Fin, thinking, "that bit with the note-swapping. There was a trick, or something, I can't really remember, but they planted a note, didn't they? That's what you've done, isn't it? Seph?"

Seph's indignation was clear on her face. She prided herself on the originality of her schemes.

"Ugh! Next time, I'm telling you, I won't get my ideas from a four hundred year old man from a different universe!" She stormed off, leaving us in the corridor.

"You must admit, it was ingenious," said Glorfindel after a moment of silence, and with that we left to our respective rooms.

The next morning was one of great excitement, as our merry crew of conscious house members increased by one. That one was Frodo.

As usual, I woke well before dawn, which meant I was one of the first to hear the news. In the past few days in which Frodo had been here, it had become something of a habit of mine to visit the makeshift infirmary. It was in fact a cosy room just off the third floor corridor, which was normally closed off and used for storage, but sometimes made into a hospital. I had a notebook in which I would record any relevant data, and it was already quite full. I had by this point learned enough about the hobbit to write a detailed biography, with interviews from close friends, without ever having met Frodo himself.

I was on my way to where Frodo was staying, when I was surrounded by shouts and cheers. Pippin and Merry hurtled past me in the opposite direction, screaming something unintelligible, and I hastened my pace. What was going on? I finally reached the infirmary, and I entered, hoping for the best.

The only bed in the room was surrounded by people - Sam, Elrond, Dan, Roh, and others. Sitting propped up on his pillows was a very much awake Frodo Baggins. Considering this was the first time I had seen him with his eyes open, he was not very animated, and still looked exhausted. However, he was awake, and seemed very confused at the whole situation. I could imagine what he was thinking: he was in a strange place surrounded by strange people, all surrounding his bed. They were trying to explain to him what was going on, but Frodo was mainly listening to Sam, and I could see him nodding his head. I edged closer, unsure if I was encroaching on this intimate moment.

However, the decision was made for me as Seph burst in, followed by a groggy Kels. Their faces lit up as they pushed past me lingering in the doorway, propelling me forward into the group. They made for the bed in order to attack the poor hobbit with their hugs, but Elrond calmly stopped them at a safe distance for Frodo's safety. Then Frodo weakly raised his hand, and Seph clasped it, and I could see that Kels was on the verge of tears. They started relating their adventures, and since I had already either heard or experienced all of it, I turned to listen to what Elrond was saying to Roh.

Then a voice I didn't recognise said,

"So I understand you are Diana,"

I looked around and discovered the source of the voice - none other than Frodo. Evidently Seph and Kels had introduced me.

"Yes, but you can call me Di,"

"Di? That sounds a bit too much like 'die'. I think I've had enough of death lately, I hope you don't mind if I call you Diana?"

"No, that's fine. You must be tired." In actual fact, I mostly did not mind what people called me.

"Tired? I've been lying in bed for the past four days, according to them," he jerked a thumb towards Elrond and Sam, who were discussing something amongst themselves, then sighed. I rushed to see what was wrong, then turned and saw that Pippin and Merry had returned from delivering the news, and were standing at the foot of the bed panting. Frodo was smiling now, and Pippin was singing a song of his own composition,

"He's awake, he's awake,

Let's eat cake!

Awake, awake, awake,

Awake, awake, awake!"

Apparently he was too excited think of more than five words for his song, but it was catchy enough for Merry to strike up too. Frodo gave a beaming grin.

"Did you miss me?"

There were vigorous nods, and everyone was trying to speak simultaneously, not realising that that is simply not the logical way to make oneself heard, but soon we were all ushered out in order to allow Frodo to recover in peace. For his part, he did not seem too keen on being kept from his friends, but Elrond was insistent. Besides, he said, there was the council to prepare for.

Seph and Kels exchanged a knowing look.

"The council? You mean THE Council?"

"Yes," said Elrond gravely, "there are important matters to discuss."

"And I don't suppose we are invited? Are we?" asked Seph, first hopeful then dejected when she saw Elrond's expression.

"I am afraid of the four of you Diana is the only one officially invited as my assistant."

I smiled, feeling slightly smug.

"Officially invited?"

"Officially, yes... It is such a shame none of you will be able to come to the meeting, which happens to be at three o'clock in the afternoon in two days' time. Make sure Sam also knows not to be there. I do not want to be able to see any of you at the meeting."

And Elrond left the infirmary without another word.

* * *

**A/N: Up next is *dramatic drumroll* the council! But you already knew that because I told you before. Due to a previous lack of reviews (*sob* but that you Jessica for being the only person to answer my question) I decided to do a switching POV! No Di POV but we do have the Frying pan of Awesomness! Kesesese (haha, Prussia :P). Anyway, in answer to the question of Kyoki no Megami, it is a joke reference to Artemis Fowl :) **

**A really big thank you to all reviewers and all reader, even if you don't review. I will start trying to reply to reviews in the bottom section here so if you have any questions send them in.**

**Please Review!  
It would mean the world to us! **


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